The local football governing body Ferwafa has dismissed, the Confederation of African Football (CAF)’s exclusion of 2007 national league champions APR and Rayon from continental football.

Rwanda ‘s representatives in this year’s continental football competitions APR and Rayon Sport have been disqualified from competing in this year’s African Champions League and the African Confederation Cup after "failing to fulfill their financial obligations to the Confederation," a CAF statement said.

The local football governing body has however dismissed these claims insisting that Ferwafa has fully cleared its dues with CAF.

"Rwanda should not be affected in any way because we have cleared our dues. I think this is only supposed to act as a wake up call for those countries that have not effected their payments to CAF," Ferwafa’s chief executive officer Jules Kalisa told Times Sport.

APR’s secretary general Alex Sabiti also downplayed the threat insisting that APR’s African Champions League clash with Egyptian side Zamalek remains unchanged.

Clubs from five countries; the Central African Republic, Chad, Kenya, Rwanda and Sierra Leone have been excluded from African continental club competition this year, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) said on Sunday.

The five countries were disqualified from competing in this year’s African Champions League and the African Confederation Cup after "failing to fulfill their financial obligations to the Confederation," a CAF statement said.

The decision was made by CAF’s executive committee, whose membership includes Chad and Rwanda.

The decision means clubs like Zamalek have walkovers to the second round of the Champions League.

First round, first leg matches in both the Champions League and Confederation Cup are scheduled for February 15-17.

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