The first-leg of the World Cup Asia Qualifying Zone Play-off between Uzbekistan and Bahrain has been declared invalid by FIFA, football's World governing body, due to a massive error by the referee.

In the first-leg of the tie, which was played in the Uzbekistani Capital of Tashkent, and ultimately finished 1-0 to Uzbekistan, Japanese referee Toshimitsu Yoshida bizarrely declared a seemingly legitimate penalty, scored late in the first-half by the home team, as being invalid, and instead awarding Bahrain an indirect free-kick for encroachment by an Uzbek player as the penalty-kick was being taken.

In an emergency meeting of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Organising Commitee on Monday evening, FIFA ruled that the referee's decision was a "technical error" since the rules of the game state that, in such circumstances, the penalty-kick must be re-taken.

Each team was informed of the ruling early this morning following a formal protest by the Uzbekistan Football Federation.

After the game, which ended 1-0 to Uzbekistan, the Uzbekistani Football Federation (UFF) lodged a formal complaint to FIFA, requesting for result be cancelled, and the game to be awarded to Uzbekistan 3-0. This was rejected by FIFA.

"The bureau, taking into consideration that the referee in the match in question had indeed committed a technical error, established that, as a consequence, the match needed to be replayed", said the statement issued by FIFA.

"The protest put forward by the Uzbekistan team for the match to be considered a forfeit with a 3-0 result has been rejected".

The first-leg of the game will be played on October 8 in Tashkent. The second leg of the game, scheduled for Wednesday night in Manama, has also been cancelled and will be instead be played on October 12.

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