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Bafana Bafana of South Africa’s road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup has hit a potential roadblock following a yellow-card controversy surrounding midfielder Teboho Mokoena.
According to majic828.co.za, reports suggest that Mokoena may have been ineligible to play in Bafana Bafana’s matchday 5 clash against Lesotho, which could significantly affect the team’s chances of qualifying.
Mokoena received a yellow card in their matchday 1 against Benin (MD1) and another in the following match against Zimbabwe.
According to FIFA’s regulations, a player who accumulates two yellow cards in separate matches must serve a one-match suspension. This means Mokoena should not have featured in the Lesotho encounter.
Despite the clear rules, Mokoena was included in the starting line-up for the matchday 5 match against Lesotho, playing 81 minutes before being substituted.
If the reports are confirmed, this could be a violation of FIFA’s qualification regulations, and South Africa may face a points deduction for fielding an ineligible player.
Currently, Bafana top Group C with 10 points, Benin Republic are second on eight points, Rwanda have seven points and occupy third while Nigeria’s Super Eagles are on six points and are in fourth.
A points deduction would not only see them lose their top spot but also tighten the race for automatic qualification.
Also Read: 2026 WCQ: Zimbabwe Target First Win Over Super Eagles In 44 Years
The Super Eagles could also capitalise on any misstep by South Africa. Given the competitive nature of Group C, even a small slip could be costly in the long run.
The issue stems from FIFA’s World Cup Qualifiers Rulebook, specifically sub-section 9, which clearly states that a player who receives two yellow cards in separate matches must serve a one-match suspension.
If the suspension rule is applied and Mokoena’s eligibility is found to be invalid, South Africa could lose the three points from their 2-0 win over Lesotho.
In 2017 FIFA fined the Nigeria Football Federation 6,000 Swiss Francs (about N2,177,280) for fielding an ineligible player in a Russia 2018 World Cup qualifying match.
The disciplinary committee of the body in a statement said the three-time African champions fielded Shehu Abdullahi who was ineligible for the qualifier against Algeria on November 10, 2017.
The committee awarded 3-0 in favour of Algeria, with the NFF also receiving a fine of $6,045.30.
12 Comments
E don happen well am surprised South Africa could make such a costly mistake. It may even affect their performance today unless is kept completely out of the team. Meanwhile Mokoena may not play today’s match to avoid more sanctions. Let us do our part today by defeating Zimbabwe then wait for Fifa to do the needful
Risk 3 points deduction or not, they (South Africa) cannot finish above Nigeria.
Then let the same law apply.
Wonderful. Everything working in Nigeria’s favor. NFF better not sleep on the bicycle. SA is now effectively on 7 points at the moment.
FIFA regulations on this issue require that a preliminary complaint be filed within one hour of the match’s conclusion, with a comprehensive protest—supported by documentary evidence—submitted within 24 hours.
The key question remains: Have the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) or the Lesotho Football Federation followed these procedures? If not, any expectation of a FIFA intervention may be misplaced. Rather than relying on uncertain outcomes, Nigeria must focus on securing victories—starting with the crucial match against Zimbabwe. Winning games on the pitch remains the surest path to qualification. Wishing the SEs all the best in their match today
This will be a sweet music to our ears if we go ahead and win all our remaining matches and south Africa drop points. Hugo Broos will have to retire as he vowed to do so if Nigeria qualify ahead of SA.
I remember in 2018 Algeria doesn’t need that match because we’ve already qualified before the game. Still FIFA deducted 3 points from us.
This time if CAF try to Fa Gburu, Gburu will Fagbo O!!
Despite all these I want the SuperEagles to remain focused. I like the discipline golng on in the camp particularly the banning of content creators around the boys.
The manager seem to me very good!
He has a defined way of playing a system strange to the way we are used to playing..
I want to see how our boys execute this Chelle’s system especially now they have an extensive training time..
Now Osimhen is taken off and we concede another late goal. I hope we stop taking out Osimhen the same thing happened before.
This is a clout chasing claim which is unfounded. I checked to verify and found out that the said Tebogo Mokoena did not play.against Lesotho.
Lies and damn lies. This should die a natural death.
Bro, check properly! He played for about 81 minutes before he was changed. He got yellow cards in South Africa’s 1st and 4th match. So he was supposed to sit out their fifth match, which he played.
He played,wored number 4 and played for 82 minutes before he was substituted. But my take is the law of fifa that stipulates that there must be complained within 24hrs after the match ended. Now it is five days after the match.