By Farayi Mungazi BBC Sport, Tunis

Whoever wins this trophy will still have to qualify for the next tournament

The winners of the 2004 African Cup of Nations will not automatically qualify for the next edition of the tournament.

The Caf executive committee took the decision to bring the Nations Cup in line with the World Cup and the European Championships, both of which have brought in the new ruling.

This rule has already created some dissatisfaction in global football, with world champions Brazil having expressed their profound unhappiness at having to qualify for the 2006 World Cup.

Another decision taken at the meeting of the 12-man executive committee in Tunis on Tuesday was to allow countries at future Nations Cups to have squads of 23, rather than 22, players.

Reacting to the requests of many countries clamouring for this change, Caf has ruled that all future squads must list a total of three goalkeepers.

The executive committee also discussed the venue of the 2008 event where five countries have shown an interest in staging the competition.

Only South Africa, Ghana and Libya managed to submit bids before the deadline of 23 November 2003, but proposals from Ivory Coast as well as a joint bid between Gabon and Equatorial Guinea have also been accepted.

That African football's governing body has agreed to these two late entries is viewed by some as politicking on the part of Issa Hayatou the day before the Caf presidential election on Thursday.

Hayatou, the current incumbent, is running against Botswanan Ismail Bhamjee, who is a member of Caf's executive committee as well as president of the Confederation of Southern African Football Associations (Cosafa).

At a symposium of African football Caf staged in the Tunisian capital on Wednesday, Hayatou supporters were distributing caps and T-shirts promoting their favourite's bid.

Every member of the executive committee was at the symposium, save for Bhamjee although the Botswanan was later seen outside during a coffee break.