World Cup Qualifiers: South Africa wants a replay of the qualifying tie game with Ghana
South Africa pressed for a rerun of a 2022 World Cup qualifiers against Ghana on Wednesday, citing an analysis that it claimed indicated apparent referee bias.
“FIFA has a responsibility to defend the integrity of all of its competitions,” Danny Jordaan, president of the South African Football Association, said during a press conference. South Africa was defeated 1-0 by Ghana in the final fixture of the CAF World Cup qualifiers in group G, with Ghana scoring on a controversial penalty after Daniel Amartey seemed to dive. South Africa was eliminated from the World Cup qualifying campaign in Qatar next year as a result of the defeat.
Ricardo Pereira gives his reasons why Leicester City can beat Chelsea this weekend
SAFA invited retired referee Ace Ncobo to look at the match’s video records. According to his research, 90.9 percent of wrong decisions favored South Africa. “We agree that the punishment isn’t the issue,” Ncobo stated. “Let’s not even bring up the dreaded ‘SAFA appeal penalty.’ The purpose of this proposal is not to discuss the penalty.”
“In this match, my independent view is that the referee was plainly biased against South Africa,” he added. Hugo Broos, the head coach of Bafana Bafana, stated that this episode went beyond normal frustrations with officials during a match.
“I was more convinced here after the game that the referee was against us,” he remarked.
Ghana defender Amartey seemed to dive during the Group G decider on Sunday, resulting in a penalty that was converted by Andre Ayew for a 1-0 triumph and first place. Ghana and South Africa tied on points and goal difference, but the Black Stars won the division after scoring seven goals, one more than Bafana Bafana, during the course of the tournament.
A wrongly awarded penalty helped South Africa defeated Senegal in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. Senegal successfully appealed to FIFA for a replay, which they won. The VAR (Video Assistant Referee) system will be used for all 52 matches in the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon beginning January 9.
