2022 WCQ: Don't drag CAF President into qualifier controversy - South Africa FA warned

President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kurt Okraku has cautioned Danny Jordaan, who is the president of the South African Football Association (SAFA) not to drag Dr Patrice Motsepe, the head of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), into their dispute over the 2022 World Cup qualifiers last Sunday.

SAFA has accused the Ghana FA of match-fixing and bribery following their 1-0 defeat to Ghana in the final round of qualifiers to the Mundial.

The South Africa FA have also proceeded to lodge a complaint following the outcome of the game.

However, the Ghana FA has responded to the accusation in a strong-worded statement on Thursday.

In a press conference organised on Wednesday, November 17, SAFA boss, Danny Jordaan stated they had consulted CAF President, Motsepe after the Ghana game.

“Even though the CAF President is from South Africa, we don’t want to be opportunists and use him but of course we called him right after the game and he assisted us but we are not using him in all this,” Danny Jordaan said.

It is on the back of this that GFA President said that he does not expect the CAF boss to take sides in the matter at hand.

“I want to tell Jordaan, that he cannot drag the president of the Confederation of African Football [Patrice Motsepe] into this.

"Motsepe is the president of CAF and not the president of SAFA. He doesn’t call the shots at SAFA – we voted for Motsepe to represent a truly democratic African Confederation Football and not to take sides.

“And for Motsepe, I know he will never take sides, and I don’t expect him to take sides,” Kurt Okraku added.

• What happened?

South Africa went into the game at the Cape Coast Stadium with a three-point lead and needed to avoid defeat to Ghana to qualify top of Group G and progress to the play-offs.

But Ghana, who needed victory to topple the Bafana Bafana, secured the win through a penalty which Andre Ayew converted.

South Africa protested to the match commissioner after the game and indicated their intention to complain to CAF and FIFA and subsequently did so, believing the penalty wasn’t a penalty.

The complaint to FIFA was followed up with a press conference from SAFA where president Danny Jordaan claimed they had been systematic schemes to cheat the South African team right from when they arrived in Ghana and all throughout the match.

FIFA confirmed receipt of the SAFA petition and said the matter will be referred to its Disciplinary Committee on November 24 for adjudication and decision.

The GFA has also been asked to send a response to the petition by Nov. 20, 2021.