The Democratic Republic of Congo has withdrawn its youth football team from the African Cup of Nations (CAN) U17 qualifiers, canceling the scheduled first-leg match against the junior Palanca Negras of Angola. The withdrawal comes as a result of financial difficulties, preventing the cadet Leopards from participating in the CAN U17 qualifiers set to take place in Morocco between April 13 and 27, 2013.
Despite a month of training, the cadet Leopards won’t have the opportunity to compete due to insufficient financial means. The Congolese Association Football Federation (Fécofa) communicated the withdrawal to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) through a formal letter.
This withdrawal follows a similar situation with the under-20 team, where Fécofa’s persistence led to their participation in the second round of the CAN U20 qualifiers against the Dodos of Mauritius. Fécofa’s president, Constant Omari, had previously expressed frustration with the government’s lack of support for sports
