Africa football has always been confronted with bad officiating during major games and Ghanaian referee Joseph Lamptey is currently serving a life ban for a controversial decision during a 2018 World Cup Qualifier between South Africa and Senegal.
I also remember Benin referee Coffi Codjia also suffering an indefinite suspension in 2010 after the AFCON in Angola. Yet, many others like Daniel Bennett are not deterred.
I think the next to suffer such a severe penalty is South African referee Daniel Bennet for denying Ghana a legitimate goal against Uganda in the 2018 World Cup Qualifier in Kampala on Saturday, 7th October 2018.
Denying Ghana a penalty from a rebound must not only attract a severe punishment from CAF but it's also an utter definition of how poor the African game is.
Bennett's decision not to give Ghana that legitimate goal is incomprehensible and only demonstrates how the 'home team must win' attitude is destroying the game.
Frank Acheampong was strongly pushed by Derick Nsibambi like an articulator truck over a taxi on the 66th minute for what many Ugandans even screemed was a penalty for Ghana but Fadil waved play-on and even verbally cautioned Acheampong for wht he described as diving.
As if that was not enough, Fadil disallowed a 94th minute goal from Raphael Dwamena in a controversial style, turning the end of a beautiful game into a chaotic finish.
Partey unleashed a thunderous strike which went direct into the chest of Onyango, Dwamena followed up and scored from a rebound and referee judges that to be an offside? Have the rules been changed by FIFA and when was that?
Even the over-30 Ugandan journalists who had surrounded me at the Nelson Mandela National Stadium in Namboole, Kampala, were at a loss as to why referee Fadil Mohammed refused to give Ghana that goal.
Must the African game always be thrown in massive controversy? Can't a team win away from home? What signals are we sending to ourselves when we cheat ourselves because of the 'home team must win' mentality?
I'm overly disappointed in the referee because the efforts of the Ghanaian team deserved the win over Uganda.
This is how we are killing the game in Africa and this is how our game keeps weeping for justice and fairness.
By: Sheikh Tophic Sienu @desheikh1 on twitter