Soccer
CAF mulls over SAFA protest
2011-10-12 08:30
Johannesburg - The Confederation of African Football is dealing with the protest lodged by SAFA after Bafana Bafana failed to qualify for their second successive Africa Cup of Nations finals, reports the
Sowetan.
"I can confirm that we have received a letter (of protest) from South
Africa Football Association," said CAF secretary-general Hicham El
Amrani.
"We are processing the matter and have referred it to the organising committee."
SAFA is disputing a ruling that eliminated the national team after a
goalless draw against Sierra Leone in Mbombela on Saturday left them
level on points with the Leone Stars and Niger, who qualified for the
finals, according to CAF.
CAF invoked Article 14.1, which states that if two or more teams are
level on points after the group matches, the greater number of points
obtained in the matches between the concerned teams will determine the
group winner.
"We are of the opinion that this particular rule should be thrown out
because it defeats the traditional way of determining a log standing,"
said SAFA chief executive Robin Petersen, who called the regulations
inconsistent with those for FIFA competitions.