‘We feel robbed’: Safa to lodge formal complaint over ref in Bafana defeat

JOHANNESBURG – The South African Football Association (Safa) will be challenging the match decisions in Bafana Bafana’s 1-0 loss to Ghana in Sunday’s 2022 Fifa World Cup Qualifier.

Going into the final Group G encounter, the South Africans held a three-point lead over the Black Stars and were aware that they needed to avoid defeat to progress to the final round of qualification.

If Ghana won, both sides would sit on the same number of points as well as the same goal difference, however, the South African’s would be dumped out of the competition as they had scored an inferior amount of goals.

The game plan had been executed properly until just after the half-hour mark when in the 32nd minute, the Ghanaians were awarded a penalty.

It took place from a corner when Daniel Amartey went down in the penalty area from a pull. However, replays suggested that the player had dived – Andre Ayew stepped up and tucked away the resulting penalty.

Immediately after the match, Bafana coach Hugo Broos raised questions over the officiating throughout the game: “I’m not happy, really not happy with the way the referee today let Ghana play [in an] aggressive way,” Broos said.

The coach added the style of his opponents’ play was not the issue but that the same leniencies were not afforded to his side by the officials.

On Monday morning, Safa CEO Tebogo Motlanthe took a harder line than the Belgian manager, confirming that Safa would challenge the decisions taken in the match.

SAFA CEO Tebogo Motlanthe explaining how there association will be challenging the decisions made in yesterdays World Cup qualifier. #BafanaVsGhana #BafanaPride pic.twitter.com/SI63GmrbZ8

Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) November 15, 2021