South Africa Agree To World Cup replay
South
African football chiefs have agreed a 2018 World Cup qualifying tie against
Senegal should be replayed "on ethical and moral grounds".
World
governing body Fifa ordered the replay after the referee for the original game,
Joseph Lamptey, was banned for manipulating the match.
The South
African Football Association (Safa) had been considering an appeal but now says
it agrees with Fifa.
However it
said it would appeal should the referee's ban be overturned.
South Africa
beat Senegal 2-1 in the original tie last year.
On Tuesday
Safa said it "has decided on ethical and moral grounds that if
this match was manipulated, we should replay it".
It later
added: "We have however, noted that the official at the centre of all this
controversy has appealed his case to the courts of law.
"If the
courts overturn the decision, everything becomes null and void and Safa will
reserve its right to challenge the decision of Fifa to replay the match.
"Safa's
zero tolerance on corrupt activities within football are well documented and it
is in this light that we decided to comply with the Fifa directive."
Safa had
been considering an appeal as it had not been consulted by investigators.
It means
that South Africa are now bottom of Group D with a single point from three
matches and now trail the third-placed Senegalese by four points.
Burkina Faso
top the group with six points, just ahead of island nation Cape Verde on goal
difference, with only the group winners qualifying for the World Cup in Russia.
Fifa will
decide on 14 September on the exact date for the replay, which will take place
in the international window in November - one month before the 2018 World Cup
draw.
Neither
South Africa nor Senegal have been accused of any wrongdoing.
No comments