Burkina Faso, Fasofoot: top-of-the-table clash postponed, then cancelled over a shirt row

It was the most eagerly awaited fixture of matchday 21 in the Faso Foot Ligue 1 in Burkina Faso: AS Sonabel against USFA. It was a big game in the race for second place. AS SONABEL (47pts) and USFA (48pts) are separated by one point and are battling for second place, which could bring a spot in African competition next season. But, to the great disappointment of supporters, the showdown will not take place. The match, first postponed, was eventually cancelled by the Professional Football League. The reason given: both teams turned up with kits of the same colour. According to several sports observers, the episode is an embarrassment and does the national league's image no favours.

Image recovered from a public archive captured on 18/05/2025. The archived file is verified; the current source is unavailable. View archived capture

"What is most regrettable is that I'm not saying the other matches of matchday 29 had no value, but this AS SONABEL - USFA match should have been shown on the national channel. Unfortunately, there was no match. It's a shame that the spectators and the TV viewers were not respected and that this match was not played," laments Norbé Kaboré, a Fasofoot devotee.

For observers of Burkinabé football, the rules are nonetheless clear. Provisions exist for a kit clash. The question is whether they are applied: "The rules must be applied, but you also have to take account of the context and the circumstances in which this happened. Did both teams comply with the requirements for this match?", asks Hervé Nikiéma, a Fasofoot enthusiast.

Read also: Burkina Faso: EFO - ASFA Yennenga, the reasons behind the decline of the "Fasico"

Journalist Raogo C. Romba said: "The rules are clear. The away side must change shirts in the event of a clash. If they don't and it delays the start of the match, by a maximum of 15 minutes, the team pays a fine of 50,000 francs. And if, after 15 minutes, the match can no longer be played, the away side lose by forfeit. That is what the regulations say, anyway. It's true there is the question of away kits and kits designated before the match. Once you have designated your colours and you don't wear them, the rules say you are fined 25,000 francs," he explains.

AS Sonabel awarded the win

Rescheduled for Sunday 11 May 2025 at 16:00 at the Stade Municipal Issoufou Joseph Conombo because of technical difficulties, the AS SONABEL - USFA match was ultimately cancelled by the Burkina professional football league, which, in a third statement, awarded the win to AS Sonabel, the Electricians, citing article 27, paragraphs 7 and 8 of the regulations for the 2024-2025 national Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 championships.

Read the official statement from the professional football league

Image recovered from a public archive captured on 18/05/2025. The archived file is verified; the current source is unavailable. View archived capture

USFA respond...

USFA cry foul and are preparing an appeal after the Burkina professional football league's decision. Out of step with the ruling to hand AS Sonabel an administratively awarded win, USFA expressed their displeasure in a statement and say they will appeal soon. "In the face of this blatant injustice and clear breaches of sporting fairness, USFA reserve the right to lodge an appeal with the competent bodies of the Burkinabè Football Federation. We call on the sporting community, our supporters and partners to stay mobilised in this fight for truth and fairness, and we reaffirm our commitment to upholding USFA's rights," the club said in the statement.

Given the situation, some are calling on the Burkina Faso professional football league to show more rigour and foresight to avoid such incidents in future. "For this kind of match, you should even have supervisors. That is, beyond the match officials, you need supervisors who can obviously take all this into account. The supervisor must be able to step in, or at least watch. He doesn't intervene, but he watches how the commissioner himself handles the pre-match formalities and so on, to make sure everything is in order and everything follows the rules of the game. But there weren't even any supervisors. So all of that gives them an outside eye that would have helped to understand the situation better. Those were proposals that had been made as well. It's true it can cost a little because if you appoint a supervisor, you may have to cover their expenses. But for the final matches, I think it's worth the expense. So we need to reach that level, because that was the proposal on the table. Others had applied it at one point. We must continue. Set the good example, we must go for it. But we have to tighten up on the commissioner. We have to tighten up on the officials. Not everyone can be an official, especially for one-off matches. You have to look and pick people who are experienced," suggests Rouamba.

From now on, all eyes are on USFA, who do not intend to take this lying down and are considering lodging an appeal soon before the competent bodies of the Burkinabè football federation (FBF).