2011 CAF U-23 Championship
| بطولة إفريقيا تحت 23 سنة لكرة القدم 2011 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country |
 Morocco |
| Dates | 26 November – 10 December |
| Teams | 8 (from 1 confederation) |
| Venue(s) | 2 (in 2 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |
 Gabon (1st title)
|
| Runners-up |
Morocco
|
| Third place |
 Egypt
|
| Fourth place |
 Senegal
|
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 16 |
| Goals scored | 35 (2.19 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |
Abdelaziz Barrada Raheem Lawal(3 goals) |
The 2011 CAF U-23 Championship was the first edition of the football tournament for players under 23 years. It was originally scheduled to be hosted by Egypt from 26 November to 10 December 2011. However, less than two months prior to the start of the tournament, Egyptian authorities decided against hosting the competition because of security concerns. On 13 October 2011, Morocco was chosen as the replacement to host the tournament.
The tournament also doubles up as the qualifiers for the 2012 Summer Olympics. The top 3 placed teams qualified automatically for the 2012 Summer Olympics football tournament, while the 4th best placed team qualify for a play-off with an AFC counterpart.
The Confederation of African Football chose to create a tournament and qualifying phase to decide which associations could represent Africa at the 2012 Olympic Games. Of CAF's 53 association nations, 39 agreed to participate in the qualifiers for the tournament.
To qualify for the tournament, participating nations had to overcome three two-legged qualifying stages.
Qualified teams:
The draw for the tournament was held on 24 September 2011 during the CAF Executive Committee meeting in Cairo, Egypt.
The following referees were chosen for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.
Néant Alioum
Bakary Gassama
Sylvester Kirwa
Hamada Nampiandraza
Ali Lemghaifry Bouchaïb El Ahrach
Slim Jedidi
Janny Sikazwe
Reserve
Joseph Lamptey
Aboubacar Mario Bangoura
...
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