SAFA delighted with Fifa ruling on Bafana/Spain friendly

01 Feb 2016 | Admin Author

SAFA President Dr Danny Jordaan says he is delighted that FIFA has confirmed the Association’s long-standing position that the Bafana Bafana/Spain game was played within the stipulated rules of an ‘A’ category international friendly.

Commenting after receiving a letter from FIFA which confirmed that the South Africa-Spain friendly match on 19 November 2013 at FNB Stadium was a full ‘A’ international encounter, Dr Jordaan said the world governing soccer body had just confirmed SAFA’s long held position.

“We complied with all the regulations for this historic victory and I am happy this matter has been laid to rest. The country must savour this win as Bafana Bafana were the first country to beat Spain on the African continent.

“We expect that the impact of the victory will be reflected in the next December FIFA rankings as the ruling arrived on the date the November ranking were released,” added Dr Jordaan.

A statement from FIFA reads as follows:

“FIFA can confirm that the South Africa-Spain friendly match of 19 November remains an ‘A’ international, despite the fact that Spain allegedly used more than the maximum of six substitutes that the Laws of the Game stipulate can be used for such a match.

FIFA have taken into account that both teams had agreed on the conditions of the match and submitted the necessary documentation prior to the match in order for FIFA to confirm it as an ‘A’ international. In this context, South Africa shall not suffer any negative consequences on its part for adhering to the agreed conditions and only using up to a maximum of six substitutes during the match.

The match shall be considered as an official match and is therefore included in the November edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking.

Regarding the alleged incident of Spain using more than the maximum of six substitutes, FIFA is currently analysing the information at our disposal to assess possible next steps. “