Teams without at least 11 players available will lose the match – Afcon organisers

The organisers of the the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) have announced the conditions for the tournament which kicks off on Sunday in Cameroon.

And the most interesting one reads, “A team that does not have a minimum of eleven (11) players available will be considered to have lost the match 0-2.”

Other conditions if a team is affected by Covid-19 are:

If the result of the Covid-19 PCR test of any player is positive, such player will not be authorized to go to the stadium or participate in the applicable match.
A team will be required to play a match if they have a minimum of eleven (11) players available who have tested negative. In the event of the absence of a goalkeeper, another player from the team must replace the goalkeeper, provided the total number of available players is at least eleven.
In exceptional cases, the Organizing Committee of the Africa Cup of Nations will take the appropriate decision.

And with respect to substitutions, CAF will apply the five substitutions per match rule during this competition, as follows:

Each team will be permitted to use a maximum of five substitutes.
To reduce disruption to the match, each team will have a maximum of three opportunities to make substitutions during the game; substitutions may also be made at half-time.
If both teams make a substitution at the same time, this will count as one of the three opportunities for each team.
Unused substitutions and opportunities are carried forward into extra time.
Where extra time is played, teams will each be allowed one additional substitution, and will have one additional substitution opportunity; substitutions may also be made before the start of extra time and at half-time in extra time.

Zimbabwe are one of 24 sides at the Afcon. They are Group B with Malawi, Guinea and Senegal.