FIFA on Friday dismissed the protest filed by the South Africa Football Association (SAFA) against referee Manguette Ndiaye in relation to the Ghana 1 South Africa 0 World Cup qualifier played in Cape Coast last month citing match manipulation offences against Ndiaye.
The Ghana FA and SAFA were engaged in some heated war of words in the media but the Ghana FA has been vindicated by this decision from the global soccer body.
The ruling means the Black Stars legitimately defeated Bafana Bafana to qualify for for the play-offs which will be played in March 2022.
According to Fifa, the protest didn’t meet FIFA requirements under Art. 46 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code and Art. 14 of the Regulations of the Preliminary Competition of the FIFA World Cup 2022.
“The protest lodged by South Africa has been declared inadmissible by the Disciplinary Committee as it did not meet the requirements foreseen under art. 46 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code and art. 14 of the Regulations of the Preliminary Competition of the FIFA World Cup 2022,” FIFA said in a statement.
The statement added that: “The decision is subject to appeal.”