Fifa has ordered the World Cup qualifier between South Africa and Senegal be replayed after the referee was found guilty of "unlawfully influencing match results" and was banned for life for match manipulation.
The game, which South Africa won 2-1 in November last year, will be replayed this November on a date still to be decided. It says it made the decision to order a replay after the court of arbitration for sport upheld a life ban for the referee in question, Joseph Lamptey of Ghana.
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He gave a penalty for a nonexistent handball against the Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly during the game in Polokwane, South Africa. Replays showed the ball struck Koulibaly's knee and dropped to the ground, as reported by the Guardian.
South Africa scored the penalty and went on to win the qualifier for their only victory so far in the final round of qualifiers in Africa. A different result could have a big impact on the South Africa-Senegal group. Senegal trail the joint-leaders Burkina Faso and Cape Verde by a point.
Fifa explained the decision to replay the game had come after sport's highest court CAS had confirmed "the lifetime ban of match referee, Joseph Lamptey, for match manipulation, the ruling imposed by the FIFA Disciplinary and Appeal Committees".
News of the rematch comes as a boost for Senegal, who are placed third, one point behind Cape Verde and Burkina Faso in African zone qualifying Group D, with two games to go, according to the Dailymail.
Only the group winners secure a ticket to the 2018 finals in Russia.
A statement said: "The Bureau for the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers ordered a replay of the qualification match between South Africa and Senegal held on 12 November 2016."
"This decision follows the confirmation of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to uphold the lifetime ban of match referee, Joseph Lamptey, for match manipulation, the ruling imposed by the FIFA Disciplinary and Appeal Committees.
The statement added: "The match will be replayed within the November 2017 international window, with the exact date to be confirmed in due course.
After the ban was imposed, Senegal officials have pushed for a replay to give their side, which features Premier League stars Sadio Mane, Cheikhou Kouyate and Idrissa Gueye.
Ghana refereeing officials labelled the life ban on Lamptey "harsh", believing him to have made a genuine error, according to the Mirror.
