The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has suspended referee Joseph Odartei Lamptey for three months and gone ahead to describe his performance as poor in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier between South Africa and Senegal.
A CAF statement read that the referee awarded a wrong penalty to the hosts – South Africa and described his performance in the match as ‘poor’.
Senegal, who dominated the match were outdone by the Ghanaian when he awarded a clearly doubtful and suspicious penalty that propelled Bafana Bafana to the top of Group D log table with fourth points from two matches played to date.
Bafana Bafana had earlier scored their goals through Thulani Hlatshwayo’s controversial penalty spot and another gem of a goal by namesake Thulani Serero in 42nd and 45th minutes.
But the Senegalese were not deterred as they fought back with tenacity only to be outdone by the referee’s damaging first half controversial decision.
Senegal said referee Lamptey’s decision to give the penalty came “in spite of our players’ protests and, more seriously, by over-ruling the better-placed assistant referee who had indicated a corner that the South African players were eager to go and take”.
The FSF also claimed South Africa’s second goal from Thulani Serero was invalid as Bafana played while the referee had stopped the game for “an imaginary free-kick and was giving a verbal warning to the Senegalese defensive midfielder Idrissa Gana Guèye and captain Cheikhou Kouyaté”.
But that claim was not upheld by the CAF Referees Committee which ruled on the matter on Monday.
CAF
