Cape Verde has been disqualified from the African play-offs for the 2014 World Cup.
The FIFA Disciplinary Committee took the decision to sanction the Cape Verdean Football Association (FCF) for fielding an ineligible player in the preliminary competition match for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ between Tunisia and the Cape Verde Islands on 7 September 2013.
The match has been declared to be forfeited and awarded 3-0 in favour of Tunisia, meaning that the Cape Verde Islands will not progress to round three of the FIFA World Cup™ African zone qualifiers having dropped to second place in Group B with nine points while Tunisia finish first with 14 points and will now advance.
The sanction relates to the Cape Verde player Fernando Varela failing to serve the full four-match suspension imposed on him after receiving a red card for unsporting conduct towards a match official during a FIFA World Cup™ qualifier on 24 March 2013.
The Carthage Eagles will now be in the draw on 16 September instead of the Blue Sharks. FIFA ruled that Fernando Verela should not have played in his side’s 2-0 win as he had not completed a suspension.
The Blue Sharks had caused a major upset with their victory in Rades on last Saturday to edge ahead of Tunisia, who had only needed a draw to advance.
Ironically, Cape Verde were awarded the points from the match in March, when Varela was sent off, after FIFA ruled opponents Equatorial Guinea had used an ineligible player.
Equatorial Guinea originally won the match 4-3 only for the result to be overturned when FIFA decided Emilio Nsue Lopez did not meet eligibility rules on nationality.
The decision means Tunisia finish top of Group B with 14 points, with Cape Verde second on nine points. FIFA said Verela “failed to serve a four-match suspension imposed on him after receiving a red card for unsporting conduct towards a match official during a World Cup qualifier on 24 March”. Cape Verde Football Association has also been fined $6,400 after the FIFA Disciplinary Committee considered the FCF liable for having breached art. 55 par. 1 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code and art. 8 of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Regulations.
