FIFA sanctions South Africa for fielding ineligible player in World Cup qualifier
FIFA has sanctioned the South African Football Association (SAFA) for fielding an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena, during their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Lesotho in March.
Having accumulated two yellow cards earlier in the qualifiers, which should have triggered an automatic one-match suspension, Mokoena went ahead to feature in the match against Lesotho as Bafana Bafana clinched a crucial 2-0 win.
This led to FIFA opening a disciplinary proceeding against South Africa last week after several calls from the Nigeria Football Federation and other countries in the qualifying group demanding action from the governing body.
In a statement on Monday, FIFA announced that the disciplinary committee has found SAFA guilty of breaching its competition framework and will forfeit the match to Lesotho by 3-0.
“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,” the statement said.
FIFA added, “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.”
Meanwhile, SAFA was also ordered to pay a fine of CHF 10,000 ($12,570) to FIFA, while Teboho Mokoena was issued with a warning.
The decision marks a huge setback for South Africa in their hopes of securing the automatic ticket to the 2026 World Cup finals in Group C, while opening chances for the Benin Republic and Nigeria to fight back.
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