Senegal are back after a sixteen-year-long wait and with them have brought a hope of a brighter future to put Africa back on the map with a squad far more adept than the 2002 fairytale men.
Joseph Lamptey is a name that has put a smile on every Senegalese’s face for the last six months. One may ask why? Why is an unsuspecting Ghanaian referee the cause for nationwide glee? The answer to that lies in a Bafana Bafana victory over Senegal in a World Cup qualifier in the winter of 2016 — a victory facilitated by the 43-year-old Lamptey’s “match manipulation”, offering South Africa a penalty from an alleged handball inside the 18 yard box, which had clearly hit Napoli centre-back, Kalidou Koulibaly’s knee. His incompetence and disgraceful actions to influence the result made FIFA enact swift justice banning him for life from all competitions. Senegal was provided a way to right their wrongs and to have a better claim at their place in the World Cup in Group D of the third qualifying rounds in Africa — a replay.