Namibia appeal Zengue case

Namibia have taken their appeal against Burkina Faso player Herve Xavier Zengue to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Zengue is Cameroonian, but played twice for Burkina Faso in the 2012 Nations Cup qualifiers against Namibia – matches Burkino Faso won, 4-0 and 4-1.

The defender has a Burkinabe wife, and a passport from that country, but Namibia claim he does not fit any of the FIFA criteria to play for Burkino Faso.

The Confederation of African Football has twice rejected Namibia’s case, most recently on November 24, but the southern Africans believe they should replace the Burkinabe at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

CAF’s reason for throwing the case out was mainly that the protest the Namibians lodged ahead of their second match against Burkino Faso, and Zengue, was not signed by either country’s captain.

That had to be met for the appeal to be successful, according to 2012 AFCON regulations.

“It is a travesty of justice because CAF, for one reason or another, does not want to enter the debate of whether Zengue is eligible or not,” NFA general secretary Barry Rukoro told BBC Sport.

“That, to me, is just mind-blowing. We just don’t understand why CAFdoes not want to enter that debate – and avoid doing so at all costs.”

“For me, it flies right in the face of fair play and in the face of why we have regulations in the first place.”

The court of arbitration will have to rush through the case, as Nations Cup squads have to be named on January 7, two weeks before the tournament’s start.

Burkina Faso have been drawn in Group B with Sudan, Angola and Ivory Coast.