The decision by FIFA that South Africa have to replay their qualifying match against Senegal means that Bafana Bafana will have to win all three remaining matches to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Photo: Pixabay
POLOKWANE – A statement released by FIFA, said the Bureau for the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers ordered the replay of the qualification match between South Africa and Senegal, held on 12 November 2016, at Peter Mokaba Stadium.
The decision comes after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), found the referee for the match, Joseph Lamptey, guilty of match manipulation. He was given a lifetime ban.
“The match will be replayed within the November 2017 international window, with the exact date to be confirmed in due course,” the statement read.
The football headquarters say the FIFA World Cup regulations state the decision will come into effect immediately.
It will, however, be subject to confirmation by the Organising Committee for FIFA Competitions at its next meeting, scheduled for 14 September.
Bafana are bottom of Group D, but now only have one point and will have to win their remaining three games to have any chance of qualifying.
Raeesa Sempe is a Caxton Award-winning Digital Editor with nine years’ experience in the industry. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Media Studies from the University of the Witwatersrand and started her journey as a community journalist for the Polokwane Review in 2015. She then became the online journalist for the Review in 2016 where she excelled in solidifying the Review’s digital footprint through Facebook lives, content creation and marketing campaigns. Raeesa then moved on to become the News Editor of the Bonus Review in 2019 and scooped up the Editorial Employee of the Year award in the same year. She is the current Digital Editor of the Polokwane Review-Observer, a position she takes pride in. Raeesa is married with one child and enjoys spending time with friends, listening to music and baking – when she has the time. “I still believe that if your aim is to change the world, journalism is a more immediate short-term weapon." – Tom Stoppard
