Sanctioning South Africa after the qualifiers would be as good as doing nothing as it would have little or no effect on their qualification chances.
Controversy centers around South Africa’s decision to field midfielder Teboho Mokoena in a match against Lesotho, despite the player having accumulated two yellow cards, clearly breaching FIFA regulations regarding player eligibility.
Now, more than two months have passed since the incident, yet the South African Football Association has not faced any official sanctions. This delay is usually concerning because if sanctions are not timely, they lose their impact both morally and competitively especially when it involves deduction if points while at the peak of qualifiers.
For South Africa, the lack of swift action means they continue playing with confidence and no immediate pressure as they maintain a healthy lead at the top of the table.
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Meanwhile, for the teams chasing qualification, the delay sends a demoralizing message, that rules can be bent or overlooked depending on the team involved.
Historically, FIFA is known to respond publicly and decisively to such infractions. Yet, in this case, no official statement has been made, only speculation and whispers.
As things stand, it appears there’s an intentional effort to shield South Africa from pressure, ensuring their mental readiness to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. This perception, whether accurate or not undermines the fairness and transparency of the qualification process.
With only a few games remaining, it is paramount that sanctions, if any, are delivered immediately. Only then can the integrity of the qualifiers be preserved, and all teams feel they are being treated equally under the rules.
