Namibia has a bone to pick with the African Cup of Nations. They were eliminated by Burkina Faso, losing to them twice, 4-0, 4-1, respectively. However, they think that they are the rightful winners of the group stage because Burkina Faso fielded a player that Namibia said shouldn't be playing for them. In fact the Confederation of African Football agrees with them, sort of.
Herve Xavier Zengue (Xavier) was born in Cameroon and currently plays for FC Terek Grozny in the Chechen Republic. According to FIFA rules a player must play in his country of birth or have a grandparent from the country that want to play in. Xavier does not have grandparents in Burkina Faso. Another way they can play is if they live in the country. Obviously, Chechnya is not Burkina Faso. But Xavier's wife is Burkinabé, which entitles him to citizenship.
These irregularities are not uncommon but the Confederation of African Football had agreed with Namibia that Xavier was ineligible way back in October of 2010. But, they said that the complaint filed by Namibia was no good because it didn't have a necessary signature. That's the bureaucracy we all know and love in football.
The 2012 African Cup of Nations kicks off January 21, 2012. It should be fun.
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