The South African Football Association insists they did nothing wrong in the 1-0 win over Spain on Tuesday, and that the result will stand.
Talk after the game had it that there was a possibility the international friendly in Johannesburg might be downgraded to a practice match after La Roja made seven substitutions during the game, when according to FIFA law a maximum of six may be used in Category A matches.
In official competitions, up to a maximum of three can take the field, although in all other games more can be used if the teams reach agreement on the number and the referee is informed.
If last night’s fixture is downgraded then South Africa may not be credited with FIFA ranking points and any player who took part would not be awarded a cap.
However, as far as SAFA spokesman Dominic Chimhavi is concerned, the Bafana Bafana have done nothing wrong to warrant such a ruling.
“An error by the referee to allow the substitution [of Pepe Reina to replace the injured Victor Valdes] does not constitute any error on our side,” he told Kickoff.com.
“We abided by all the rules and regulations. As far as we are concerned the result stands.
“An error by the referee shouldn’t disadvantage and detract from what was an amazing performance and result.”
