South Africa Blames Referee For Defeat

....Fifa called in after ref mars Ghana game
The South African Football Association are to write an official letter of complaint to world governing body Fifa after Burkina Faso referee Pare Lassina's performance in a crucial Olympic qualifying match here yesterday.

Ghana defeated South Africa 1-0. But Lassina denied the South African under-23s two penalties and made a series of dubious decisions.

The result is a serious blow to South Africa's ambitions of qualifying for the Olympic Games in Athens next year.

Ghana's Kwadwo Poku caught goalkeeper Jacob Mokhasi off guard eight minutes from full-time, to net the winning goal.

"It's the worst I've ever seen since I started playing football," said South Africa's Nasief Morris. "What hurts you most is that there is nothing you can do about it."

The Panathinaikos defender, who was born in Mitchell's Plain and made his name at Santos, has had one hell of a week.

His travels have taken him from Greece, to Germany, to Johannesburg, and finally out here to the Ghanaian capital.

"It was snowing in Germany when I left," said Morris, who played in Panathinaikos' European Champions League defeat to Stuttgart before flying out here. Not only did he have to deal with a long flight, but also the sudden change in temperature in the sweltering heat of yesterday's game.

And he performed admirably, keeping out the Ghanaians for eighty or so minutes until Poku's goal gave the Ghanaians a barely deserved win.

"I was very satisfied with the guys, they showed a lot of determination," said Morris. "Everybody was fighting, we can't be disappointed."

South Africa now have home fixtures in December and January against Zambia and Algeria.

The Algerians beat Zambia 1-0 in their pool match in Algiers yesterday.

In other matches, Morocco outclassed Ethiopia 4-0, Mali hammered the Ivory Coast 3-0 and Tunisia were held 0-0 at home by Senegal.

Olympic qualifiers are confined to under-23 players, although the 16 nations who secure invitations to Greece can bolster their squad with three over-age footballers.