SAFA meet to discuss landmark replay decision, but call for calm over Samoura accusations

Danny Jordaan

September 11 – South Africa’s Football Association (SAFA) are holding an emergency committee today “to discuss the way forward” following FIFA’s decision to order a replay of the World Cup qualifier against Senegal over “match manipulation” by the referee.

FIFA said in March that Ghanaian referee Joseph Lamptey had been thrown out after finding him guilty of unlawfully influencing South Africa’s 2-1 win in African Group D in November 2016. The life ban was this week upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

But SAFA say FIFA’s decision is unprecedented and unfair since they, like Senegal, had no involvement in any wrongdoing.

The replay decision came after South Africa suffered home and away defeats by lowly Cape Verde within five days to diminish hopes of reaching the World Cup in Russia. Burkina Faso and Cape Verde have six points with two matches to play, Senegal five and South Africa one with three games left. Only group winners qualify.

SAFA President Danny Jordaan (pictured) described FIFA’s decision to have the match replayed as “devastating” but urged fans to “preserve the dignity” of FIFA’s General Secretary Fatma Samoura who is from Senegal.

“Ever since SAFA received the devastating news … that the Bafana Bafana match played against Senegal must be replayed, we have mulled over what we should do in response to this ruling from FIFA,” Jordaan said in a statement.

“We have considered appealing, writing to FIFA, employing legal counsel and doing a number of other things as a means of reducing the stress of South Africans following this devastating news. One of the immediate measures is that SAFA will convene an Emergency Committee meeting on Monday to discuss the way forward.

“However, during this time of deep reflection, SAFA has observed innuendo that besmirches the personal integrity of the FIFA General Secretary that has no basis in fact.

“We therefore extend this humble appeal to all South Africans, and our compatriots in the football community around the world, to conduct the defence of our right to a fair process with the utmost dignity and also preserve the dignity of the FIFA General Secretary, whom we hold in high regard as the first African to hold this senior post in our world football governing body.

“We shall do our utmost best to seek all appropriate remedies in this case while according the FIFA General Secretary the dignity she deserves.”

Not surprisingly given the original result and the current standings, the president of the Senegalese Football Federation, Augustin Senghor, took a different view describing FIFA’s decision to order a replay as “a very good decision for us – but also for the sake of good football, the good spirit of football, and for fair play also.”

“So it is a good decision in the battle against match-fixing, but also it’s a good decision for us because at that time we were victims of an injustice, and I think that FIFA must continue in this way.”

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