Cape Verde not going to Brazil

Cape Verde have been disqualified from the African play-offs for the 2014 World Cup for fielding an ineligible player in Saturday's group qualifier against Tunisia. The Tunisians will now be in the draw on 16 September instead of Cape Verde. Fifa ruled that Fernando Varela should not have played in his side's 2-0 win, as he had not completed a suspension. Fifa said Verela "failed to serve a four-match suspension imposed on him after receiving a red card for unsporting conduct towards a match official during a World Cup qualifier on 24 March". Cape Verde Football Association has also been fined US$6,400. This really is a big blow for such a small group of islands. With a population of just over half a million, if the islanders had gone onto eventually qualify for Brazil next year they would have been the smallest ever African nation to play at the World Cup. But that will not be at this point in time. Cape Verde will not get a taste at World Cup glory until at least 2018, all because they made the stupid mistake of fielding a suspended player. Ironically, Cape Verde were awarded the points from the match in March, when Varela was sent off, after Fifa ruled opponents Equatorial Guinea had used an ineligible player. Equatorial Guinea originally won the match 4-3 only for the result to be overturned when Fifa decided Emilio Nsue Lopez did not meet eligibility rules on nationality.