Sierra Leone get CHAN bye

Sierra Leone are one step closer to the CHAN finals in Sudan

Sierra Leone have been given a bye into the first round proper of qualifying for the African Nations Championship.

The Leone Stars had been due to face Mauritania in the preliminary round of qualifying for the competition.

But the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) received a letter from the Confederation of African Football earlier this week pulling out of the game.

The match had been scheduled for the end of November.

Sierra Leone will now go into the first round of West African qualifying, where they will play Senegal over two legs in March.

Preliminary rounds are played on a regional basis from the end of 2009 and throughout 2010 and the tournament itself takes place in Sudan in early 2011.