It has finally happened: FIFA has sanctioned the South African Football Association (SAFA) after Bafana Bafana fielded an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena, in their FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier against Lesotho.

Initially, SAFA told Sportswire they expected only a fine, but FIFA confirmed a harsher punishment. South Africa have been deducted three points, with the match awarded 3-0 to Lesotho, citing SAFA’s negligence.

Mokoena, the Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder, should have been suspended after accumulating two yellow cards earlier in the qualifiers — first against Benin in November 2023, and then against Zimbabwe in 2024. Instead of serving his suspension, he featured against Lesotho on March, triggering disciplinary action.

According to sources, SAFA had planned to argue that fixture congestion caused them to “lose track” of Mokoena’s cautions. FIFA, however, rejected the explanation.

In a statement, FIFA confirmed:

“The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has sanctioned the South African Football Association (SAFA) for having fielded an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena, in the South Africa v. Lesotho match played on 21 March 2025 in the FIFA World Cup 2026™ preliminary competition, thereby breaching article 19 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC) and article 14 of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Preliminary Competition Regulations.

“Consequently, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has declared the match in question to have been forfeited by the representative team of South Africa by a score of 3-0.  

“SAFA has also been ordered to pay a fine of CHF 10,000 to FIFA, while Teboho Mokoena has been issued with a warning.  

“The parties were notified of the terms of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s decision today. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the FDC, they have ten days in which 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.” 

With FIFA having confirmed that SAFA has 10 days to appeal the decision through the FIFA Appeal Committee, it will be interesting to see if they will appeal or not.

Despite the setback, Bafana Bafana remain in contention. They now sit second in Group C with 14 points after eight matches, while Benin have moved top of the group on goal difference.