Nigeria’s fledgling bid to qualify for the 2026 World Cup got an unexpected boost, at the weekend, when South Africa allegedly fielded an ineligible player in their 2-0 defeat of Lesotho at the Peter Mokaba Stadium.
Before yesterday’s games, South Africa was leading Group C with 10 points following that victory against Lesotho. Benin Republic was second on eight points with Rwanda third on seven points. With six points, the Super Eagles were fourth, while Lesotho dropped to the fifth position after the defeat by Bafana Bafana.
However, the table could change with Lesotho’s protest against the eligibility of Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder, Teboho Mokoena, to play the game.
According to the report, Mokoena was ineligible to play due to accumulated yellow cards.
As reported by sportswire.co.za, Mokoena received a caution against Benin Republic on November 2023, at the Moses Mabhida Stadium and another against Zimbabwe in June at Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein. With two bookings, he should have been suspended for the match against Lesotho. Yet, he played until the 82nd minute before being substituted by Thalente Mbatha.
According to the report, although Lesotho FA had a 24-hour window to file a protest and initially failed to do so, they are now holding an emergency meeting, exploring ways to approach FIFA with an appeal, citing Mokoena’s ineligibility.
As a cautionary measure, the South African Football Association (SAFA) instructed the Bafana Bafana technical team not to field Mokoena in yesterday’s World Cup qualifier against Benin Republic.
The Lesotho Football Association (LFA), yesterday, confirmed it has sent a query to FIFA on the issue.
There’s uncertainty over whether Mokoena’s first yellow card was expunged at last year’s Africa Cup of Nations, but FIFA rules state clearly that bookings are accumulated “from round to round,” which would exclude the AFCON.
“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,” said LFA secretary-general Mokhosi Mohapi.
“We have heard that Nigeria also want to protest and they too are entitled to that because the result (last Friday) prejudices everyone. Suppose it was us who fielded a defaulter and got the points, Bafana would have done the same.”
Mohapi said South Africa could not expect to use proximity to Lesotho as a basis not to file a protest. “Unfortunately, the law is the law and SAFA should have known about the bookings. We have no hard feelings. We want those points.”
Mokoena was booked on the stroke of halftime in Bafana’s Group C against Benin Republic in November 2023, which ended 2-1 in SA’s favour, and again in November 2024 against Zimbabwe, when SA won 3-1. That, according to FIFA rules, meant he should not have been eligible for last week’s match.
The likelihood of Bafana losing the points from last week is high, given previous cases.
In 2013, Botswana protested against Ethiopia for having used a player who had accumulated two bookings in their qualifier. FIFA stepped in and awarded a 3-0 win to Botswana.
On claims that Lesotho should have protested 24 hours after the match, Mohapi stated: “There’s no such. If the protest is valid, FIFA will look into it. We are awaiting their response.”
Already, SAFA has started an inquest on the issue, with some officials blaming “administrative incompetence” for Mokoena taking to the field when he should not have. The team manager should have notified the coach (Hugo Broos) that Mokoena has two yellows. He was not supposed to play.”
The report said that the South Africans are pushing for a fine instead of points’ deduction, which would impact negatively on their chances of qualifying for the World Cup.
Stakeholders also believe that Nigeria, Benin Republic and the other teams in Group C could also impress on FIFA to stick to the rule books to maintain the integrity of the game.
