Bafana Likely To Get A Fine, Not Points Deduction
The South African Football Association (SAFA) will likely be fined rather than face a points deduction for fielding an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena, during a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match.
According to a Sportswire source, SAFA is preparing its defense for FIFA regarding Mokoena’s participation in a March qualifier against Lesotho. The source suggests that the worst-case scenario for SAFA would be a fine of up to $500,000, with no points being deducted.
SAFA’s defense will focus on the difficulty of maintaining accurate player records due to a complex and crowded fixture schedule that includes both World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
Mokoena had accumulated two yellow cards: one in November 2023 and another in June 2024, but a series of AFCON qualifiers played in between caused confusion in record-keeping.
A source commented on the situation, stating, “The problem is that Bafana Bafana played World Cup qualifiers, and then they stopped. They then played the AFCON qualifiers, which were squeezed in three months, a different competition in the same year.”
A formal complaint about Mokoena’s ineligibility, rumored to have come from the Nigeria and Benin Football Associations, has prompted a FIFA investigation.
Potential Consequences of a Points Deduction
If Bafana Bafana were to be docked three points and the match awarded to Lesotho as a 3-0 victory, their current 17 points would drop to 14. This would leave them level on points with Benin, who are in second place in Group C. Benin would then move to the top of the group on goal difference, despite Hugo Broos’s side having beaten them in both qualifying matches.
This potential points deduction would offer a lifeline to Nigeria and Rwanda, who are both in third and fourth places with 11 points each. The final match between these two teams could then be crucial in deciding the group winner. To secure their automatic spot in the World Cup, Bafana would need to beat both Zimbabwe and Rwanda in their upcoming matches.
In the African qualifiers, only the top team from each group automatically qualifies for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The four best second-placed teams will compete in a play-off round for an additional spot.
Qualifying for the World Cup would bring a significant financial reward for SAFA, as they would immediately receive at least $6 million from FIFA, which was in the 2022 finals.
