The South African Football Association (Safa) has been kept waiting by Fifa on the appeal they lodged against the suspension of Bongani Zungu from Bafana Bafana’s 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifier against Senegal.
The matter was supposed to have been heard on Thursday with the match set to take place at the Peter Mokaba Stadium next week Friday.
However, Safa’s communications manager Dominic Chimhavi told Sowetan Live on Friday that Fifa had told the association that they will only indicate next week as to whether Zungu is eligible to play in Polokwane.
“Fifa has indicated to us that they will give us their final ruling on Zungu before our first leg match against Senegal on Friday‚” Chimhavi said.
Zungu has a one-match suspension from his red card when the midfielder was one of many players from both sides involved in a scuffle‚ yet somehow singled out for retaliation by the referee.
He and his Bafana team-mate Andile Jali‚ who also has a one-game suspension‚ have been selected in South Africa coach Stuart Baxter’s squad.
This is because the two midfielders will both be available for the follow-up game in Dakar on Tuesday‚ November 14.
Bafana will qualify for the finals which will be hosted by Russia if they beat Senegal both home and away.
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