Cape Verde's Play-Offs Disqualification Upheld

The appeal of Cape Verde to FIFA over their disqualification from the 2014 World Cup play-offs due to fielding an ineligible player in a match has been upheld by the football governing body in Zurich, Switzerland.

In the last World Cup, African zone qualification match, between Cape Verde and Tunisia, Cape Verde won the match 2 - 0 and finshed on top of the table. But were disqualified from participating in the play-offs, because a player, Fernando Varela, was given a four match ban in March this year and did not complete it before playing in the duel with Tunisia.

Fernando Varela

FIFA ordered the forfeiture of the match and awarded Tunisia 3 - 0 and three points which put them on top of the table instead of the Cape Verdeans. The Play-offs has been drawn, Tunisia will be playing Cameroon in a two leg encounter in October and November, the winner of both matches will qualify for the World Cup.

It was strenge, Cape Verde themselves had earlier on benefited in such FIFA punishment of Equatorial Guinea in a World Cup qualification match, in which they lost 4 - 3, but were awarded the forfeiture of the match with the same 3 - 0 and three points, because Equatorial Guinea used an ineligible player, Emilio Nsue, even though he scored a hat-trick in the match.

Cape Verde can still take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), if they choose to, but the out come of that may not be known on time, as the play-offs is beginning next week, unless CAS will give the case priority attention and hear it immediately, which is doubtful due to many cases before them.