Swaziland withdraw from 2013 Nations Cup qualifiers

Lobamba: Swaziland have withdrawn from the 2013 African Nations Cup, just a week before the side were due to play the first leg of a preliminary round match, the country`s football association has confirmed.

Swaziland were scheduled to meet the Seychelles in a first round tie on January 6 and 20 but pulled out because of financial constraints, officials said. The late withdrawal is likely to lead to a fine from the Confederation of African Football CAF.L and the possibility of being banned from the 2015 tournament. The qualifying competition for next year`s Nations Cup in South Africa starts less than two weeks before the 2012 finals, which are being played in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon from January 21-February 14. From next year, the biennial tournament will shift from even to odd years to avoid clashing with the World Cup. Bureau Report