There was a clear pattern of match manipulation during South Africa’s 2022 World Cup qualifier against Ghana, according to South African Football Association (Safa) president Danny Jordaan.
Safa has lodged a complaint with football’s world governing body Fifa over their 1-0 loss to Ghana on Sunday in a crucial qualifier for next year’s tournament in Qatar.
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The Ghana Football Association has dismissed match-fixing allegations and has said it is not expecting anything untoward from any investigation by Fifa.
Fifa has said it is reviewing the complaint lodged by Safa, but has not given any indication of when a decision will be reached.
A comprehensive report has been compiled by former South African referee Ace Ncobo and will be used as part of Safa’s protest with Fifa.
Ncobo said he picked up 71 major incidents from the match where the referee either turned a blind eye in favour of Ghana or made incorrect calls against the South African team.
So far there has been no comment from anyone on the officiating team for the match, who all come from Senegal and were headed up by referee Maguette Ndiaye.
It is understood that, according to Fifa rules, Ndiaye is not permitted to comment on officiating decisions.
