A World Cup qualifying game has to be replayed because of match fixing

South Africa beat Senegal, but had no idea it was being aided by a crooked referee.

Back in November 2016, South Africa defeated Senegal 2-1 in an early World Cup qualifying match. Nearly a year later, Bafana Bafana have been informed that their win won’t count, and the match will have to be replayed.

The official for that match, Joseph Odartei Lamptey of Ghana, has been banned for life by FIFA for manipulating the match. His ban was upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport upon appeal, and as a result, FIFA will make South Africa and Senegal replay the match.

FIFA has not released details of the evidence against Lamptey or why he was handed a lifetime ban, but there is video of him incorrectly awarding a penalty. In the 41st minute of the match, Lamptey gifts South Africa a spot kick by whistling for handball on Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly, whose hand was clearly nowhere near the ball.

With this result nullified, South Africa sits on one point through three games played out of a total six in Group D of CAF qualifying, while Senegal has five points from three games and can now take over the group lead without any help if it wins all of its remaining games. Burkina Faso and Cape Verde both have six points from four games, with Burkina Faso having the superior goal difference. Only one team in the group will qualify for the World Cup.

A date has not been set for the make-up game, but FIFA says it will be played sometime in November.