Bafana Bafana is alleged to have failed to do proper diligence on midfielder Teboho Mokoena, who is said to have had two yellow cards in rounds 3 and
Bafana Bafana is alleged to have failed to do proper diligence on midfielder Teboho Mokoena, who is said to have had two yellow cards in rounds 3 and 4 of the World Cup qualifiers against Benin and Zimbabwe — only for him to play against Lesotho in round 5.
If confirmed, the Nigeria Football Federation is waiting to file an application for FIFA to deduct three points from South Africa for fielding Mokoena against Lesotho since he was ineligible.
What the rules say?
According to Fifa’s regulations, a player who accumulates two yellow cards in separate matches must serve a one-match suspension. This means Mokoena should not have featured in the Lesotho encounter.
However, Mokoena was included in the starting line-up for the Matchday 5 match against Lesotho, playing 81 minutes before being substituted.
If the reports are confirmed, this could be a violation of Fifa’s qualification regulations, and South Africa may face a points deduction for fielding an ineligible player.
What is FIFA’s response
The governing body of the game has yet to comment on the issue, and the world is waiting for FIFA to make a decision.
South Africa is 5 points ahead of Nigeria, who sits 4th in the group.
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