Burkina Faso disputes FIFA’s directive to replay fixed game

The Burkina Faso Football Federation has challenged FIFA’s directive to replay a World Cup qualifying game because the referee was crooked. The West African nation filed an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport against a November replay of South Africa’s 2 – 1 win over Senegal last year. The BFFF described the ruling as an abuse of power by a FIFA World Cup organising committee panel. FIFA has wiped the original game off its record.

Prior to this, FIFA has never ordered a game to be replayed because of match-fixing. During preliminary investigations, neither South Africa nor Senegal were involved in the fixing, and the referee was likely manipulating the match for a betting cozenage. The referee, a Ghanian, Joseph Lamptey was banned for life for awarding the penalty for a non-existent handball that let South Africa take the lead 1 – 0. FIFA rejected his appeal.

Burkina Faso is leading the group on goal difference over Cape Verde with two games left. Only the group winner will get a World Cup slot, and Senegal who is one point behind can go tops using the replay in November which now gives them the one-game advantage over the Burkina Babes. The Burkina Faso Football Federation acted after South Africa, who are last on ther group table.