Warning letters sent to South Africa national team over 2012 Afcon qualification mess

Mar 30, 2012 11:50:00 AM

The country's football governing body has taken disciplinary action against those deemed to be responsible for the failed qualification to the Afcon

South African Football Association (Safa) CEO Robin Petersen has revealed that letters of warning have been sent to those members of the Bafana Bafana camp responsible for the Nations Cup debacle.

In an interview with Avusa Media, Petersen confirmed that action had been taken against those responsible for the qualification misunderstanding that cost Bafana a place at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

Bafana were under the impression they needed a draw against Sierra Leone in their final Afcon qualifier in October, and blatantly wasted time to acheive that result. However, they had misread the rules and Niger qualified for the tournament.

According to the Sowetan, the Safa CEO, however, refused to name those seen as the perpetrators – apparently even when asked specifically by Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula.

"Letters of warning were written to people who should have known better," Petersen said.

"We had sent a report to the minister and to Sascoc (SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee) which indicated that disciplinary action had been taken against those who I felt were responsible for not reading the rules properly.

"But as I said to Sascoc and to the minister and to my [executive committee], that's a matter between myself and the employees.

"I listened to explanations that were given and then took what I believed was the right disciplinary action."

Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200
Sign up to Paddy Power for £250 in free bets
Sign up today with Coral and get a £50 FREE bet - no strings attached!
Sign up today with BetVictor and get a £25 FREE BET!

play

open

Inside Goal.Com

Bayern's jinx - CL final referee Nicola Rizzoli
Goal takes a look at the career of the Italian arbiter to date following Uefa's decision to appoint the 41-year-old for Saturday's showpiece at Wembley
Goal's Serie A awards for 2012-13
Goal crowns the best and worst from Italy over the course of the season
Now or never for Wenger to seal legacy
The Gunners sealed a place in next season's Champions League with victory at Newcastle on Sunday - and must now spend money to improve the squad over the summer
And Goal.com's World Player of the Week is ...
Check out which star man gets the nod from our panel of experts this week ...
Milan failings laid bare on dramatic day
The Rossoneri clinched third spot in dramatic fashion in Siena on Sunday but still have a long way to go to get to where they need to be