JOHANNESBURG - The South African Football Association (Safa) is closely following the cases linked to Fifa’s decision to order a replay of Bafana Bafana’s World Cup qualifier against Senegal.
Fifa ordered a replay of the match that took place at Peter Mokaba Stadium last November following revelations of irregular betting by syndicates in Asia.
Fifa’s evidence exonerated South Africa and Senegal but led to a lifetime ban of referee Joseph Lamptey. The Ghanaian took Fifa to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) to challenge his ban. Cas upheld the decision but that hasn’t stopped Lamptey from taking the case further.
“We were told that this referee is going to Swiss courts to challenge the Cas decision,” said Safa CEO Dennis Mumble.
“If the referee is proven right and is exonerated, we will open up this can of worms ourselves because that means the result must continue to favour us in that match. But that’s if that referee wins his case. The facts that Fifa have shown us say that this match was corrupted and we have to believe what Fifa have given us.”
The Burkina Faso Football Federation (FBF) have challenged Fifa’s decision to order a replay. The FBF have been vehement in their disapproval of what they feel is a “decision tainted by abuse of power and without any relation to the texts of the international football forum”.
Mumble didn’t rule out the possibility of Safa joining forces with the FBF. The decision to order a replay and strip Bafana of the three points they got from the match means the Lions of Teranga are in a good position to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.