Online Reporter
SOUTH Africa are waiting to discover if they will be sanctioned for fielding an ineligible player in their 2026 FIFA World Cup African Zone Group C football qualifying victory over Lesotho last Friday.
Bafana Bafana midfielder Teboho Mokoena should have served a one-match ban after picking up yellow cards against Benin and Zimbabwe earlier in the campaign.
Instead, the 28-year-old helped his side to a 2-0 win over the Crocodiles at Peter Mokaba stadium in Polokwane, and Lesotho have since submitted a query to world governing body FIFA about the incident.
“We are hoping for them (FIFA) to respect their own regulations and act appropriately,” Lesotho Football Association secretary-general Mokhosi Mohapi told BBC Sport Africa.
“Even if they just caution South Africa, it will be okay.
“If they give us the points, so be it. (It would be) the cherry on top.
“There’s no malice, but it’s just that we are looking for the regulations to be adhered to. If it were us who had defeated South Africa, wouldn’t (they) do the same?”
The South African Football Association (SAFA) declined to comment when contacted by BBC Sport Africa.
However, Mokoena was withdrawn from the squad to face Benin in Tuesday’s qualifier away in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire and, after the 2-0 win that took his side five points clear at the top of Group C, national team coach Hugo Broos said the matter is “something that will be sorted over the next week”.
FIFA’s competition regulations state that any protest about player eligibility should be lodged within 24 hours of the end of a match.
Should South Africa be punished with a points deduction, their hopes of appearing at the World Cup for the first time since hosting the tournament in 2010 will be back in the balance.
Instead of the 2-0 win for Bafana Bafana, Lesotho could be awarded a 3-0 technical victory that would move them up to second in the table and one point behind the South Africans.
It would also boost Nigeria’s chances of qualification, given the Super Eagles sit six points adrift of top spot with four rounds of fixtures remaining after drawing 1-1 with Zimbabwe in Uyo.
Only the group winners are assured of a place at next year’s expanded 48-team tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
There will, however a play-off for the four best runners-up across all groups and Zimbabwe’s Warriors who anchor the Group C standings with four points are now hoping to make the most of their remaining four games to turn on the magic and go on a winning streak.
Should they win their remaining matches against Benin, Lesotho, Africa and Rwanda and results from other groups go in their favour, the Warriors might just gatecrash into the play-offs party.
It is against this background that Warriors coach Michael Nees has remained upbeat with the German gaffer insisting that Zimbabwe’s World Cup dreams are not yet completely over.
Nees is also drawing his confidence from the brave showings he saw in his team as they twice battled from behind against Benin to force a 2-2 draw and also rallied from a goal down to snatch a point against the Super Eagles in the 1-1 deadlock in searing heat in Uyo. – BBC Sport Africa/Sports Reporter.
