South Africa, Group C leaders in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Africa qualifiers, are at the risk of losing three points in the race for the automatic spot in the group after fielding an ineligible player during their 2-0 win over Lesotho last Friday.
The news is a good one for Nigeria, who failed to get maximum points as they played out a 1-`1 draw with Zimbabwe in Uyo on Tuesday night, March 25.
The player in question is midfielder Teboho Mokoena accumulated two yellow cards in the series before their last game against Lesotho.
Mokoena who plays for Mamelodi Sundowns was first booked in the qualifying series during their 2-1 home win over the Benin Republic in November 2023. He was cautioned in the 54th minute of the game.
The midfielder was also booked in the 52nd minute during their 3-1 win over Zimbabwe in June 2024.
He was then named in their starting lineup during their last game against Lesotho, playing 82 minutes before he was replaced by Thalente Mbatha.
According to FIFA World Cup qualifying rules, a player is ineligible to play a subsequent match after accumulating two yellow cards.
“If players or team officials receive two cautions in one match (in matches decided by penalties) or in two different matches of the competition, they will be automatically suspended from their team’s subsequent match,” FIFA says in its law book.
However, a protest from other countries in the group could be disregarded by FIFA if it is not been submitted at the stipulated time.
South Africa who play the Benin Republic in Abidjan are currently top of the group with 10 points. The Benin Republic are second with eight points followed by Rwanda with seven points while Nigeria are fourth with six points after five matches.