Fifa orders World Cup playoff rematch between Egypt and Senegal
Egypt's defender Omar Gaber (bottom) vies for the ball against Senegal's defender Saliou Ciss (top) during the 2022 Qatar World Cup African Qualifiers football match between Egypt and Senegal at Cairo International Stadium in the Egyptian capital on March 25, 2022.
Editor's Note: This was an April Fool's Day story. However, The Egypt Football Association (EFA) has appealed to Fifa over what they termed as mistreatment by Senegal in the second leg of the World Cup qualifier which the hosts won on post-match penalties to qualify for Qatar 2022. Fifa is yet to rule on the appeal.
World football governing body Fifa has ordered a World Cup playoff rematch between Egypt and Senegal.
This comes after Egyptian Football Association (EFA) lodged a successful appeal against Senegal saying its national team was subjected to racism and intimidation as it was preparing to play in the World Cup playoff on Tuesday.
In a statement on Tuesday, the EFA said its team “was subjected to racism after offensive banners appeared in the stadium stands directed at the players, specifically Mohamed Salah, the team captain.”
It added that fans terrorised the players by throwing bottles and stones at them during the game’s warm-up sessions.
“The Egyptian team’s buses were attacked, which resulted in their windows being broken and in injuries to some individuals,” the statement also read.
The association had also submitted the complaint to the Confederation of African Football.
Egypt failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup after losing to Senegal on Tuesday night.
On Tuesday night, the Pharaohs lost their place in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to the Senegalese Lions of Teranga after a penalty shootout Tuesday (3-1) and a more than effervescent atmosphere in the stands.
