LUSAKA, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- Zambia's soccer governing body on Tuesday said it will not lodge any appeal with the world soccer governing body against alleged poor officiating of a 2018 World Cup qualifier match against Nigeria last Saturday.
Zambia's chances of making a maiden appearance at a World Cup final disappeared after they lost 0-1 to Nigeria, with Botswana referee Joshua Bondo disallowing a goal scored by Zambia in the 22nd minute for offside.
Soccer fans have since taken to social media demanding that the soccer governing body appeals to FIFA against the disallowed goal as striker Augustine Mulenga was not in an offside position when he scored the goal.
But the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) said despite taking note of the widespread demands that it lodges a complaint with FIFA, it will not do so.
"In arriving at a decision over the matter, FAZ has been guided by the provisions of the FIFA Statutes that stipulate the procedure and possible outcomes for any complaint lodged," Desmond Katongo, the soccer governing body's spokesperson said.
He said FIFA rules state that a referees' decision could not be overturned unless there was clear evidence of external interference, adding that the referee's decision was always deemed final.
"It is also worth acknowledging that FAZ risks being fined for filing a complaint without providing sufficient evidence that the game was externally manipulated," he said.
With one game remaining, Zambia's hopes of qualifications have been dashed as Nigeria now has 13 points followed by Zambia with seven points while Cameroon has six. Algeria are on the bottom of the group with one point.
