A bizarre miscalculation from South Africa manager Pitso Mosimane has cost his side a place in the African Cup of Nations finals.
The Bafana Bafana believed that they only needed a draw against Sierra Leone to secure qualification, but they failed to realise that they in fact had to win to book their place in next year's finals.
Hearing that rivals Niger were losing against Egypt, Mosimane changed his side's tactics during the game and they played out the draw.
However, CAF rules state that when teams are tied for points at the top of a qualifying group, head-to-head results between those teams take preference over goal difference, and Niger ended up one point better off than South Africa and Sierra Leone in their previous matches.
The results meant that Niger ended up qualifying for next year's tournament for the first time in their history.
South Africa were subjected to further embarrassment when they celebrated after the final whistle, believing that they had qualified. They have now appealed to the CAF over the regulations.
Jack Prescott
