The blunder by South Africa to field Teboho Mokoena, a player who was suspended, as they faced off against Lesotho on the 21st of March 2025, means that Bafana Bafana will face certain sanctions for breaking laid-down rules. Yesterday, a FIFA top official confirmed this by stating that it is a matter of when, not if, the sanction against South Africa will happen.
Teboho Mokoena, who plies his trade with South African-based team Mamelodi Sundowns, currently participating in the FIFA Club World Cup, was supposed to be suspended in the game against Lesotho due to accumulated yellow cards recorded in prior matches played against Zimbabwe and the Benin Republic. However, he was still fielded, a decision that might give other Group C contenders, especially Nigeria, the opportunity to take the lead in the log if things go their way in the remaining fixtures.
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As reported earlier, the decision by FIFA would boost Nigeria’s hopes of qualifying for next year’s FIFA World Cup after a woeful outing in five of their six matches, where they managed to win just one, draw four, and lose one.
With four games left, South Africa is ahead of Nigeria, which is currently one point behind Rwanda and Benin, both on seven points in their group. However, both teams are set to face South Africa in a crunch match, and the winner might take a step closer to qualifying for the top event, or open the door for the second and third-placed teams to grab the top spot.
The three-point and three-goal deduction, once enforced, would surely dampen the morale of Bafana Bafana. With the top spot within reach, and the two teams ahead of Nigeria in the group (as shown on FIFA.com) vying for a maiden World Cup qualification, the Super Eagles will need to win all four of their remaining games if they are to qualify for the tournament.
All eyes are now on FIFA in anticipation of the date for the disciplinary hearing, where Bafana Bafana will officially be punished for their violation of FIFA rules.
