South Africa and Senegal have been ordered by FIFA to replay their World Cup qualifier completed in November last year after the referee was given a lifetime ban for “match manipulation“.
Home team South Africa won the match 2-1 but the result will not stand after action taken against Ghana official Jospeh Lamptey was upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
A statement said: “The Bureau for the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers ordered a replay of the qualification match between South Africa and Senegal held on 12 November 2016.”
“This decision follows the confirmation of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to uphold the lifetime ban of match referee, Jospeh Lamptey, for match manipulation, the ruling imposed by the FIFA Disciplinary and Appeal Committees.
“The match will be replayed within the November 2017 international window, with the exact date to be confirmed in due course.
“As stated in the FIFA World Cup regulations, this decision shall come into effect immediately but shall be subject to confirmation by the Organising Committee for FIFA Competitions at its next meeting, scheduled for 14 September.
[Click here to read more FIFA related stories on this site]
In the controversial match, a dubious penalty was awarded to South Africa, leading to protests by Senegal and a FIFA investigation.
After the ban was imposed, Senegal officials have pushed for a replay for their, which features Premier League stars Sadio Mane, Cheikhou Kouyate and Idrissa Gueye.
Ghana refereeing officials labelled the life ban on Lamptey “harsh”, believing him to have made a genuine error.
Lamptey had previously been banned by the African Confederation for six months after an incident in the CAF Champions League.
Source: Mick Gadd / The Mirror UK
Oral Ofori is Founder and Publisher at www.TheAfricanDream.net, a digital storyteller and producer, and also an information and research consultant.
