Burkina Faso file World Cup appeal to FIFA

The Burkina Faso Football Federation have lodge an official complaint to FIFA alleging that Algeria fielded an ineligible player during the teams’ World Cup play-off.

Madjid Bougherra scored the only goal in Blida which pulled Algeria level 3-3 on aggregate and took them to Brazil on away goals on Tuesday. 

But  Burkina Faso claim should have been suspended, while they also appealed against the performance of Senegalese referee Badara Diatta.

The west African federation’s  president Sita Sangare said Bougherra picked up a yellow card during the group stage of qualifying against Mali and also went into the book during Burkina Faso’s 3-2 win in the first leg of their play-off, which should have ruled him out of the second leg.

The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations runners-up also argued that Diatta failed to play out the full four minutes of injury time, depriving them the chance of a late equaliser which would have qualified them for next year’s finals in Brazil.

Deadly celebrations

The appeal comes in the wake of deadly qualifying celebrations in Algeria.

Algerian authorities said that 12 people had died and 240 were injured during celebrations for Algeria’s play-off win.

A written government statement said on Wednesday that five celebrating fans were killed when a van slid off the road into a ravine in the mountain town of Bejaia, east of Algiers, while four others died in the southern city of Biskra in a car accident.

The remaining three died in other towns, the statement said, without giving further details.

Burkina Faso have never appeared at a World Cup finals tournament.

Algeria played at the World Cup in 1982 and 1986 and has also reached back-to-back tournaments in 2010 and 2014. However, the country has never been past the first round at football’s main event.

FIFA had to intervene in a few matches during the African qualifiers, which included denying Cape Verde a place in
the play-offs after they used an ineligible player against Tunisia in the final group match.