African football
Date set for South Africa v Senegal replay
The World Cup qualifier that FIFA annulled after “match manipulation” will be replayed on November 10.
On Wednesday, FIFA announced that the replay of the annulled World Cup qualifier between South Africa and Senegal will occur on November 10.
The replay will take place at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, South Africa.
South Africa v Senegal: Match manipulation
The original qualifier, played on November 2016, ended 2-1 for the Bafana Bafana, however, this result has been annulled since Joseph Lamptey, the Ghanaian referee in charge of the game, was found guilty of manipulating the match.
The official awarded South Africa a first-half penalty for a non-existent handball. Later, he awarded a dubious goal for the Bafana Bafana.
In March, the Ghanaian referee was banned for life by FIFA after the governing body found him guilty of breaching the rule relating to “unlawfully influencing match results.”
Lamptey, who also works as an air traffic controller, has turned to the Swiss civil courts to try to lift the ban.
The South African Football Association (SAFA) stated that they would not appeal any decision made by FIFA regarding this event.
“SAFA has decided on ethical & moral grounds that if this match was manipulated, we should replay it”.
Extremely complicated World Cup road for South Africa
The November 2016 game was South Africa’s only win in the final round of African qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup.
Currently, Senegal and South Africa are third and fourth respectively in Africa’s Group D, behind the leaders Burkina Faso and the impressive Cape Verde. (CAF Group D )
Where Senegal were to win the replay, they would take top spot in the group.
South Africa must win their last three qualifiers in order to reach the World Cup.
This Saturday, the Bafana Bafana will receive Burkina Faso at Soccer City in what will be a decisive match for both squads. In Africa, only the group winners qualify for the World Cup.