Brazil2014: FIFA rejects Ethiopia’s protest claims against Referee

World football’s governing body FIFA has rejected a protest by the Ethiopia Football Federation against the referee’s decision to disallow a goal against Nigeria in their first leg, playoff match in Addis Ababa last week.

The Cameroonian referee ruled that the shot by Salhadin Said in the first half did not cross the Nigerian goal line.

Ethiopia, which lost the match 2-1, was aggrieved by the decision which, it believed, would have turned the tide against Nigeria.

In its reaction to Ethiopia’s protest, FIFA said the referee’s decision was final.

In a letter to the Federation, FIFA referred it to article 14 paragraph 6 of the regulations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, under which protests could be made about referee’s decision regarding facts connected with play, saying ‘such decisions are final and not subject to appeal, unless otherwise stipulated in the FIFA disciplinary code’.

“Therefore in view of the foregoing, we regret to inform you that we are not in any position to intervene in the matter,’ the local media Thursday quoted FIFA as saying in the letter.

The return leg will be played in Nigeria’s southern city of Calabar next month, with the aggregate winner qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.