FIFA hand lifetime ban to Ghanaian referee after controversial penalty decision

Ghanaian referee Joseph Odartei Lamptey has been banned for life by FIFA after being found guilty of influencing the result of a World Cup qualifying match.

Lamptey incorrectly awarded a penalty during a qualifier for the 2018 World Cup between South Africa and Senegal in November last year.

South Africa won 2-1, the first of their goals from a spot-kick awarded by Lamptey for a handball that never was.

The ball hit Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly on the leg, but, despite no appeals, Lamptey pointed to the spot, to the incredulity of the Senegal team.

FIFA said in a statement: "The FIFA disciplinary committee has decided to ban the Ghanaian match official Joseph Odartei Lamptey from taking part in any kind of football-related activity (administrative, sports or any other) at national and international level for life.

"The official was found guilty of breaching art. 69 par. 1 (unlawfully influencing match results) of the FIFA disciplinary code during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia qualifying match between South Africa and Senegal on 12 November 2016.

"Further information concerning the South Africa v. Senegal match in question will be provided once the decision becomes final and binding.

"FIFA follows a zero-tolerance policy on match manipulation and is committed to protecting the integrity of football. As a result, FIFA will continue with its ongoing efforts to combat match manipulation through a variety of initiatives, which include the monitoring of international betting and a confidential reporting system with a dedicated integrity hotline and e-mail address."