Pretoria - The South African Football Association (Safa) has lodged an appeal with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) regarding the controversial disqualification of Bafana Bafana for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
Bafana, who played a goalless draw against Sierra Leone on Saturday at Mbombela stadium, finished top of Group G on goal difference, followed by the Leone Stars and Niger all tied on nine points.
The Egyptians who beat Niger 3-nil finished in fourth place with four points adrift.
After the match on Saturday, Bafana players, their technical staff and supporters danced and hugged, but their happiness was short-lived when it was announced that according to the CAF rules, Bafana had failed to qualify for the 2012 Afcon finals in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.
Both the head coach Pitso Mosimane and Safa President Kirsten Nematandani had already congratulated the players for qualifying for the 2012 Afcon when the news came in.
Nematandani reportedly told the team that they would fight the decision as they believed they had a case.
"If CAF's rules are ambiguous, then we need to challenge that and we are well within our rights to do so. In the meantime, be positive, and leave everything in our hands," he said.
To the surprise of many soccer fans, Niger, which conceded eight goals from six matches, were announced as the only team from Group G who qualified for the 2012 Afcon finals.
In the letter addressed to CAF, Safa said: "We have noted that CAF has announced that Niger has qualified in our group, despite South Africa finishing on top of the group in terms of goal difference, which is the universally recognised means of separating teams who are equal on points.
"We understand that you are using rule 14.1 to make your determination. However, we believe that the team finishing top of the log at the end of the competition is automatically determined at the end of 90 minutes play, and that the second place is determined by the other rules.
"We will lay out our objection more fully shortly, but in the meantime wish to signal that we intend to challenge this interpretation and application of the rules."
Safa has taken legal opinion on the matter, and has found precedent where competition rules that are patently unfair have been overturned on appeal.
In clarifying how group G winner was determined, CAF said when two or more teams are equal on points, article 14 of the competition regulations applies.
"In case of equality of points between two or more teams, after all the group matches, the ranking of the teams shall be established according to the following criteria; greater number of points obtained in the matches between the concerned teams; best goal difference in the matches between the concerned teams; greater number of goals scored in the group matches between the concerned teams; greater number of away goals scored in the direct matches between the concerned teams.
"Goal difference in all the group matches; greater number of goals scored in all the group matches, greater number of goals scored in all the group matches and a drawing of lots by the Organising Committee of CAF.
"In application of rule 14.1 CAF has considered only results of matches between the concerned teams, Niger, South Africa and Sierra Leone (discounting Egypt as the bottom team with 5 points hence not concerned anymore), resulting in the following ranking based on 4 matches played by each teams concerned: Niger 6 points; South Africa 5 points and Sierra Leone 5 points, so Niger is therefore qualified to the final phase."
