Bafana Bafana’s lead atop Group C could be cut short due to an administrative bungle, and the road to the FIFA 2026 World Cup may not be as smooth.
As things stand, Bafana Bafana have a clear five-point lead after beating Benin away on Tuesday, 25 March.
This win followed another 2-0 win at home against Lesotho, who are now crying foul after Bafana Bafana midfielder Teboho Mokoena featured against them in Polokwane, Limpopo. This despite the fact that he was supposed to serve a one-match suspension because he was on two yellow cards accumulated in matchday 1 against Benin in November 2023 and Zimbabwe in matchday 4 last year.
Lesotho has alerted FIFA. “The question is, was a rule broken? If yes, we are fully entitled to protest and get the points. We were made aware of Mokoena’s bookings, and we have since sent a formal inquiry to CAF and FIFA,” Lesotho FA secretary-general Mokhosi Mohapi was quoted as saying.
However, it’s still early days to determine what could be the outcome, given the fact that Lesotho missed their window of opportunity to file a protest. The FIFA disciplinary code, under “offenses,” states, “Associations and their clubs are entitled to lodge protests. Protests must reach the disciplinary committee in writing via the FIFA legal portal, indicating the relevant grounds, within 24 hours of the end of the match in question. The 24-hour time limit cannot be extended.”
However, the Lesotho FA is having none of it. “If the protest is valid, FIFA will look into it. We are awaiting their response,” Mohapi responded.
In late 2017, Nigeria suffered the same fate after fielding an ineligible player in their 1-1 draw against Algeria, with the latter awarded a 3-0 win.
Nigeria was also fined US$6,000 (R109,000).
Luck was on Nigeria’s side as that match was, in fact, a dead rubber as they had already secured qualification for the FIFA 2018 World Cup.
For now, Bafana Bafana will have to wait to hear their fate.
Whether Bafana Bafana are docked points or not, it’s an administrative bungle that is embarrassing for the nation, and the knives are out for the team manager, Vincent Tseka, who’s tasked with such responsibilities and should have informed head coach, Hugo Broos, about Mokoena’s suspension.
In 2011, Bafana Bafana celebrated qualifying for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations after finishing on nine points alongside Niger and Sierra Leone, whom they played to a goalless draw in Mbombela, Nelspruit.
The victory lap in Mpumalanga was cut short when it was discovered that CAF uses head-to-head in cases where teams finish on the same number of points.
As such, Niger had the upper hand and qualified, much to South Africa’s disappointment.
Twelve (12) years later, nothing has changed as another administrative bungle has tongues wagging.
Broos declined to comment on the issue after the win against Benin.
“Let me assure you that I will not say anything about the subject, but we’ll see,” he said.
The SA Football Association (SAFA) is yet to address the matter.
