The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has delivered a significant blow to South Africa’s 2026 World Cup qualification hopes, sanctioning the South African Football Association (SAFA) for fielding an ineligible player in a crucial qualifier against Lesotho.
The controversy centers around midfielder Teboho Mokoena, who played in South Africa’s 2-0 victory over Lesotho on March 21, 2025, at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, despite being suspended due to accumulated yellow cards.
The saga began with Mokoena’s disciplinary record during the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign. The Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder had accumulated two yellow cards in earlier qualifying matches – one against Benin in November 2023 and another against Zimbabwe in June 2024. According to FIFA’s regulations, a player who accumulates two yellow cards in separate matches must serve a one-match suspension.
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This meant Mokoena should have been automatically suspended for South Africa’s next qualifying match, which happened to be the crucial encounter against Lesotho. However, Bafana Bafana team management failed to identify this issue, with administrative oversight allowing an ineligible player to take the field.
Despite his ineligibility, Mokoena was included in the starting lineup for the March 21 qualifier against Lesotho. South Africa won the match 2-0, earning three valuable points in their quest to qualify for the 2026 World Cup in North America.
The Lesotho Football Association (LeFA) quickly identified the irregularity and lodged a formal complaint with FIFA, arguing that South Africa should be stripped of the three points from their victory due to the use of an ineligible player.
FIFA opened formal disciplinary proceedings against SAFA, with both the player and the association facing charges of breaching several disciplinary regulations. After investigation, FIFA has now ruled on the matter.
The South African Football Association has been found guilty of breaching article 19 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC) and article 14 of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Preliminary Competition Regulations.
The Sanctions
The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has imposed the following sanctions:
Match Forfeiture: The March 21, 2025 match between South Africa and Lesotho has been declared forfeited by South Africa with a score of 3-0 in favor of Lesotho, effectively reversing the original 2-0 result.
Financial Penalty: SAFA has been ordered to pay a fine of CHF 10,000 (approximately $11,000) to FIFA for the violation.
Player Warning: Teboho Mokoena has been issued with an official warning for his involvement in the matter.
The decision has severe implications for South Africa’s World Cup qualification hopes. The forfeiture means South Africa loses the three points they gained from their victory over Lesotho, while Lesotho receives three points, dramatically altering the Group C standings.
This development comes at a critical juncture in the qualifying campaign, with teams battling for the limited spots available for African nations in the expanded 48-team World Cup tournament.
The incident highlights significant administrative failures within SAFA’s system for tracking player eligibility. In modern football, with sophisticated data management systems available, such oversights are considered particularly problematic given the high stakes involved in World Cup qualification.
Legal experts have noted that the rules regarding player suspensions are clear and unambiguous – the responsibility lies with both the team and the player to ensure eligibility compliance.
The parties have been notified of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s decision and have ten days to request a motivated decision, which, if requested, would subsequently be published on legal.fifa.com. The forfeiture decision remains subject to a potential appeal before the FIFA Appeal Committee.
However, given the clear nature of FIFA’s regulations regarding player suspensions and the documented evidence of Mokoena’s yellow card accumulations, an appeal may face significant challenges
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