By Emmanuel Muga BBC Sport, Dar-es-Salaam

Tanzania's footballers have had off-field distractions

The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has fined Tanzania's FA for their failure to honour their final 2004 Nations Cup qualifier against Sudan on 6 July.

Caf imposed a $5,000 fine for the Taifa Stars non-attendance and ordered the east Africans to pay $11,313 in compensation to the Sudanese federation.

Tanzania, who lost all five matches in Group 3, said financial constraints forced them to abandon the qualifier.

"We have no option but to pay the fines," said Mwina Kaduguda, the secretary-general of the FA's interim executive committee.

Kaduguda added that the fines will only increase the level of debt which the interim committee inherited from the previous regime. The FA is said to be $100,000 in debt.

Meanwhile, the crisis within the FA means Tanzania may not be represented at a Fifa meeting in Qatar later this month.

Fifa still recognises the suspended committee as the legitimate authority for the country's football and invited former chairman Muhidin Ndolanga, his deputy Idi Kipingu and assistant secretary-general Charles Masanja to attend the Doha event.

Kipingu and Masanja, who recognise the constitutional legitimacy of the current interim leadership, said they will not travel to Qatar.