The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) issued a ruling on October 31, 2018, in a case involving the Fédération Burkinabé de Football (FBF) against FIFA, the South African Football Association, the Fédération Sénégalaise de Football, and the Federação Caboverdiana de Futebol. The dispute arose from a decision by FIFA's Organising Committee to replay a match between South Africa and Senegal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers after the referee, Joseph Odartei Lamptey, was found guilty of match manipulation. The original match, held on November 12, 2016, ended in a 2-1 victory for South Africa, but irregularities in betting patterns led to an investigation, resulting in Lamptey's lifetime ban. FIFA ordered a replay to uphold fair play, which took place on November 10, 2017, with Senegal winning 2-0 and securing qualification for the World Cup.
The FBF challenged FIFA's decision, arguing it was arbitrary and violated procedural fairness, as they were not consulted before the replay was ordered. They sought annulment of the replay result, reinstatement of the original match outcome, and compensation for legal costs. The case hinged on the interpretation of Article 3, paragraph 3 of the FIFA World Cup Regulations (WC Regulations), which states that decisions by the Organising Committee are final and binding, not subject to appeal. The CAS panel, composed of Prof. Martin Schimke, Mr. Hendrik Willem Kesler, and Mr. Jean-Philippe Rochat, ruled that CAS lacked jurisdiction to review the decision, as the WC Regulations explicitly exclude appeals for such final decisions. The panel emphasized that the provision has been consistently applied in previous World Cup regulations and aligns with FIFA's broader statutes, serving as a specialized framework (lex specialis) for the tournament.
The panel acknowledged the need for proportionality and fairness in administrative decisions but found FIFA's action reasonable, as it aimed to correct a distorted result caused by referee manipulation. The replay did not unfairly disadvantage any team but restored the competition's integrity. The ruling reinforced FIFA's authority to enforce fair play while limiting judicial interference in operational decisions during the World Cup. The CAS dismissed the FBF's appeal, removed the case from its roll, and rejected all additional motions. The decision underscored the balance between finality in sports governance and the imperative of maintaining competition integrity, highlighting the rigorous measures taken to combat match-fixing in football. The case concluded without further examination of the parties' requests, as the jurisdictional issue was determinative.