By Andrew Warshaw
October 31 – The climax to the African World Cup playoffs have been thrown into confusion after Cape Verde appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over a FIFA ruling which resulted in them being kicked out of the qualifying competition.
Cape Verde were penalised for inadvertently fielding an ineligible player in their 2-0 win over Tunisia in September which, at the time, clinched Group B.
FIFA subsequently found that defender Fernando Varela had not served a full four-match suspension for an earlier red card. As a result, Tunisia were awarded a 3-0 walkover – enough to move them above Cape Verde and into the playoff round and a two-legged clash with Cameroon. The first leg, a 0-0 draw, has already been played.
Cape Verde appealed against the FIFA decision but their case was dismissed early in October, prompting them to go to sport’s highest court. When that hearing takes place has not been decided.
Cape Verde’s case rests on the fact that Varela’s sending off, and subsequent ban, emanated from an earlier qualifier against Equatorial Guinea. Although Cape Verde lost 4-3, the result was overturned and the game awarded to Cape Verde 3-0 – the exact reverse of the Cape Verde-Tunisia scenario – after FIFA ruled that Equatorial Guinea’s Emilio Nsue, who scored a hat-trick, was himself ineligible to play.
Cape Verde argue that Varela’s red card and ban should not have counted as the match had been declared void. They appealed to FIFA but football’s world governing body upheld its original ruling.
The second leg of the Tunisia-Cameroon play-off is due to be played on November 17 in Yaounde but if Cape Verde win their case, it will cause huge complications for FIFA.
CAS has yet to indicate whether the complaint will be heard under its fast-track procedure employed earlier this year when two Turkish clubs appealed against UEFA bans shortly before the draws for the group stages of the Champions League and Europa League.
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