Five positive Covid-19 retests means that Sierra Leone will have a squad of 20 players for Tuesday’s final Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
The tie was moved to Tuesday from Monday after Covid-19 issues saw the game delayed just ahead of kick-off.
Both teams were at the stadium ready for the game when Sierra Leone were informed that six of their players had returned positive Covid-19 tests.
All the players involved were re-tested on Monday with only goalkeeper Ibrahim Sesay returning a negative result on Tuesday.
It means that the Leone Stars will now have a squad of 20 players, including two goalkeepers, for the game that kicks off at 1600GMT.
The Sierra Leone delegation complained that in the build up to Monday’s game they had been informed by a Confederation of African Football official that the whole squad were negative after tests carried out in Guinea.
The players had also returned negative tests in Sierra Leone on Saturday before they travelled to Guinea for the match, which had been moved as the stadium in Freetown was not up to standard to host a Nations Cup qualifier.
After meetings at the stadium on Monday the Confederation of African Football (Caf) agreed to postpone the match by a further 24 hours.
It was the second time the qualifier had been hit by disputes over players returning positive Covid-19 tests, the same issue saw the game called off on 30 March when it was originally due to be played.
The match will decide the final place at next year’s delayed Nations Cup finals and Benin know a draw will be enough for them to see them through to the tournament in Cameroon.
For Sierra Leone to qualify a 1-0 win would see them through instead of Benin, however they will need a two-goal margin of victory if they concede a goal.
A qualification for Sierra Leone will end a 25-year wait of qualifying for Africa’s number one football showpiece tournament for the west African country.
Source: BBC
