South Africa and Senegal must replay their World Cup qualifier from November 2016 after referee Joseph Lamptey ‘s lifetime ban was upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
South Africa won the November 12 match 2-1, but referee Lamptey has since been expelled from football by FIFA over match-fixing allegations.
Lamptey ‘s lifetime ban was upheld after appeal by CAS on Wednesday, so now South Africa and Senegal will replay the match in November this year.
“The Bureau for the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers ordered a replay of the qualification match between South Africa and Senegal held on November 12, 2016,” read a FIFA statement.
“This decision follows the confirmation of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to uphold the lifetime ban of match referee, Jospeh Lamptey, for match manipulation, the ruling imposed by the FIFA Disciplinary and Appeal Committees.
“The match will be replayed within the November 2017 international window, with the exact date to be confirmed in due course.
“As stated in the FIFA World Cup regulations, this decision shall come into effect immediately but shall be subject to confirmation by the organising committee for FIFA competitions at its next meeting, scheduled for September 14.”
Lamptey, who also officiated at the Rio Olympics last year, declined reporters invitation to comment at the time of his original ban, which came about after a complaint from the Senegal Football Federation.
Senegal and South Africa are currently third and fourth respectively in Africa’s Group D behind Burkina Faso and Cape Verde Islands. Only the top team qualifies for next year’s finals in Russia.
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