The Ghana Football Association (GFA) are considering taking legal action against the South African Football Association (Safa) over the allegations made against the Black Stars.
Safa appealed to FIFA after the 1-0 defeat to Ghana at the Cape Coast Stadium last month on the basis of alleged match manipulation from the officials led by Senegalese referee Maguette Ndiaye.
While the dubious decision to award Ghana a penalty when Rushine De Reuck was adjudged to have fouled Daniel Amartey in the penalty area was one of the biggest talking points, Safa via an independent report compiled by former referee Ace Ncobo, alleged that 90% of the wrong decisions from the referee was against Bafana Bafana.
The GFA came out guns blazing in response to the appeal and press conference held at SAFA house and distanced themselves from the allegations before the Fifa ruling was officially released last week which the protest was deemed ‘inadmissible’.
Now the GFA communications director, Asante Twum has come out to Joy Sports to state they will look to take further action.
“The protest which was filed by South Africa had no grounds/legs to stand on. There were other details that the disciplinary committee will release hopefully. When we receive that full verdict, that will inform us with regards to the next plan of action,” he said.
“Because aside the protest, we felt that the name of the FA was battered and badly bruised by the South Africans. The insults and the castigations and allegations that were made against us, we felt were unfounded and frivolous.”
His statement further supports the GFA statement that sought action to be taken against SAFA for their alleged lack of evidence to support their appeal for a replay of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
“It is very clear that after the match in Cape Coast, the South African Football Association had no reason or evidence to file any protest within the regulations of the competition and up to the time they wrote the letters to FIFA, they still did not have any reason or evidence to give to Fifa,” the statement read.
“Consequently, we, therefore, call on the respected FIFA Disciplinary Committee to dismiss the purported protests with a punitive fine and a huge cost.”
The news also comes in the light of Ghana FA general secretary Prosper Harrison Addo reportedly stating Safa ‘knows nothing in football’ and the case showed how ‘incompetent’ they are.
Safa CEO Tebogo Motlanthe did, however, state that the war of words was quashed with their ‘brothers’ from Ghana after Addo suggested he was misquoted in their local media.
“I called him and he denied saying those things,” Motlanthe told TimesLIVE this week.
“The point is we have never attacked the Ghana FA and our issue was with the referee [Senegalese referee Maguette Ndiaye] and the way he handled our game.
“So these comments did not make any sense. He claimed he was misquoted and has reported the matter to the media tribunal [in Ghana].”
