The group leaders of the Super Eagles’ World Cup qualifying group, the Bafana Bafana of South Africa, may have points deducted by the authorities.
South Africa are currently on 13 points from six matches in the qualifying series, and are hopeful of picking the automatic spot for the 2026 World Cup.
But their road to the mundial may hit a potential roadblock following a yellow-card controversy surrounding midfielder Teboho Mokoena.
According to reports, Mokoena may have been ineligible to play in their matchday 5 clash against Lesotho.
Mokoena received a yellow card in their matchday 1 clash against Benin Republic (MD1) and another in the following match against Zimbabwe.
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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.
Despite the clear rules, 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 reault to a sanction on South Africa and they may face a points deduction for fielding an ineligible player.
Recall that in 2017, FIFA fined the Nigeria Football Federation 6,000 Swiss Francs (about N2,177,280) for fielding an ineligible player in a Russia 2018 World Cup qualifying match.
The disciplinary committee of the body in a statement said the three-time African champions fielded Shehu Abdullahi who was ineligible for the qualifier against Algeria on November 10, 2017.
The committee awarded 3-0 in favour of Algeria, with the NFF also receiving a fine of $6,045.30.
