Fifa bans Bafana vs Senegal referee for life

According to a statement issued by Fifa, Lamptey was banned for “unlawfully influencing match result” of the match between South Africa and Senegal.

“The Fifa Disciplinary Committee has decided to ban the Ghanaian match official Joseph Odartei Lamptey from taking part in any kind of football-related activity [administrative, sports or any other] at national and international level for life.

“The official was found guilty of breaching art. 69 par. 1 [unlawfully influencing match results] of the Fifa Disciplinary Code during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia qualifying match between South Africa and Senegal on 12 November 2016.

“On the other hand, all charges against the Ghanaian match official David Lionheart Nii Lartey Laryea, whose behaviour had also been the subject of investigations, were dismissed by the Fifa Disciplinary Committee.

“Further information concerning the South Africa v. Senegal match in question will be provided once the decision becomes final and binding.

“Fifa follows a zero-tolerance policy on match manipulation and is committed to protecting the integrity of football. As a result, Fifa will continue with its ongoing efforts to combat match manipulation through a variety of initiatives, which include the monitoring of international betting and a confidential reporting system with a dedicated integrity hotline and email address.”

Lamptey awarded South Africa a penalty in the 43rd minute after adjudging that Gueye had handled the ball inside his penalty area.

TV replays, however, later showed that the ball had hit the player’s legs.

Bafana Bafana went on to win the game 2-1 and are currently joint top of the log with Burkina Faso.