By Our Correspondent
The Chairman of the Dar es Salaam Staff Sports League (DSSL), Japhari Saidi, who is also a licensed CAF coach, has publicly opposed CAF’s decision to strip the Senegal national team of its championship, stating that the ruling does not align with the regulations that were applied.
Speaking on the controversy, Japhari Saidi said he carefully reviewed Articles 82 and 84 of the competition regulations used by CAF to reach the decision and found significant inconsistencies between the interpretation of the rules and the actual circumstances of the incident.
“The regulation clearly states that any team that leaves the field before the final whistle without the referee’s permission will forfeit the match. However, in this case, the team temporarily left the field but returned, and the match continued until the referee’s final whistle,” said Japhari
He added that the rules do not provide direct guidance for situations where a team leaves and then returns to the field, leaving room for different interpretations.
“The rules are silent in such circumstances.
If the team had left and failed to return, then applying the regulation would have been appropriate.
But since they returned and the match was completed, the basis for the penalty is questionable,” he emphasized.
Furthermore, Japhari Saidi expressed confidence that if the Senegal national team decides to appeal, there is a high likelihood that the decision will be overturned.
“I believe that if Senegal appeals, this decision will be revoked because the legal basis for the penalty is not strong according to the interpretation of the relevant regulation,” he concluded.
His statement has sparked widespread debate among football stakeholders regarding the proper application of rules and fairness in major competition decisions.
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