South Africa: Nations Cup protest is valid
Reuters - Monday 10 October 2011, 14:27
South Africa have declared
they are serious about protesting against their African Nations
Cup elimination as the fallout from a botched weekend qualifying
game gathered momentum on Monday.
South Africa lost out in a three-way tie in their qualifying
group with unheralded Niger taking top spot because of a better
head-to-head record when Bafana Bafana thought that goal
difference was the deciding factor.
They are pressing ahead with their legal bid to try to
overturn their failure to qualify for next year's finals,
although critics have accused them of putting forward a flimsy
argument to cover up their embarrassment.
"We are going ahead with an appeal to the Confederation of
African Football (CAF) because we think we have a case," South
African Football Association chief executive officer Robin
Petersen told reporters.
Petersen said goal difference is a fairer option than
head-to-heads and that there is past precedent to overturn the
standings, even though the rules had been set out by CAF some
time before the qualifiers even started.
Coach Pitso Mosimane (pictured) informed officials on Monday he had
read the rules before Saturday's last qualifying game against
Sierra Leone in Nelspruit but misinterpreted them, Petersen told
Reuters.
EXAGGERATED TIMEWASTING
The coach was called in to explain why he played for a 0-0
draw in a game that South Africa needed to win irrespective of
the result in the other group match, where bottom side Egypt
beat Niger 3-0 in Cairo.
The games were played simultaneously on Saturday.
Niger led both South Africa and Sierra Leone by a single
point going into the weekend's last round of qualifiers but when
news that Niger were trailing in Cairo reached Mosimane, he told
his players to play for a draw believing it would be enough to
qualify.
There was exaggerated timewasting in the final minutes
followed by scenes of celebration before South Africa discovered
they had botched the permutations.
A CAF spokesman said a South African protest would be looked
into but refused further comment.
Mosimane, who took over as South Africa coach after the
country's hosting of the 2010 World Cup, has taken the brunt of
vitriolic condemnation on radio talk shows and across social
media with a majority of fans calling for his dismissal.