This archive report was first published on 5 July 2019.
Madagascar's Marco Ilaimaharitra, who played a key role in the team's impressive Africa Cup of Nations campaign, will miss the last-16 match against the Democratic Republic of Congo in Egypt on Sunday.
Ilaimaharitra, who plays for Belgian club Racing Club Charleroi, was yellow-carded in two of Madagascar's group stage matches, resulting in a one-game suspension.
He scored the only goal of the match against Burundi direct from a free-kick and helped stun three-time former champions Nigeria in the group stage.
Ilaimaharitra will be eligible to play if Madagascar eliminates the Congolese in Alexandria, setting up a quarter-final match against Ghana or Tunisia.
He is not alone in missing out on the last-16 match, as South Africa midfielder Themba Zwane and Benin forward Steve Mounie have also been ruled out due to one-match bans.
Players who were yellow-carded once during the group stage have had their cards cancelled, meaning they start the knockout phase with clean slates.
Published on July 5, 2019, by AFP.
