Mauritius pulls out of 2014 World Cup qualifying

Zurich: Mauritius has pulled out of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup, giving its scheduled opponent Liberia a bye into the African group stage.

FIFA announced the 189th-ranked Mauritius’ withdrawal without specifying reasons. Mauritius, which was chosen to host the 2013 FIFA Congress, was drawn to play Liberia in a home-and-away series on Nov. 11 and 15. Liberia now joins a group with Senegal, Uganda and Angola, which will be played between June 2012 and September 2013. The group winner advances to a 10-team playoff round to decide which five African nations play in 2014 in Brazil. Mauritius is the second country to withdraw from qualifying. Bahamas pulled out of its CONCACAF group in August because its national stadium could not host matches. Bureau Report