KEY POINTS
- South Africa loses three points in World Cup qualifying after fielding ineligible midfielder.
- FIFA awarded a 3-0 victory to Lesotho and imposed a fine on South Africa.
- Benin now tops the group standings, tied with South Africa, while FIFA faces backlash.
CAPE TOWN, South Africa: South Africa has faced a significant setback in their World Cup qualifying campaign, losing three points for fielding an ineligible player, jeopardizing their chances of reaching next year’s finals.
FIFA confirmed that their disciplinary committee found South Africa guilty of playing midfielder Teboho Mokoena during a 2-0 victory over Lesotho in March, despite him being ineligible due to two prior cautions in earlier Group C matches.
As a result, Lesotho has been awarded a 3-0 victory, while South Africa is fined 10,000 Swiss Francs ($12,536.04), and Mokoena received a warning.
Shift in Group Standings
Following this ruling, Benin now leads the group on goal difference, tied with South Africa at 14 points, with just two matches remaining. Nigeria, once considered favorites, trails by three points alongside Rwanda.
The group winner secures a direct qualification for the World Cup, while the runners-up face a challenging playoff for a chance to qualify.
In the upcoming qualifiers on October 10, Benin will visit Rwanda, Lesotho will host Nigeria, and South Africa will face Zimbabwe. The decisive matches on October 14 will see South Africa hosting Rwanda while Benin takes on Nigeria.
Embarrassment for South African Football
This deduction of points marks a considerable embarrassment for the South African Football Association, with coach Hugo Broos acknowledging the error: “We did something bad, we did something we shouldn’t do.”
However, FIFA has faced criticism for its handling of the situation, taking nearly seven months to address what many saw as a straightforward issue. The delay has frustrated other nations, as FIFA did not hold a disciplinary hearing prior to the last round of qualifiers.
“It is not normal that we don’t know the situation about the points on the log table before our games,” said Benin coach Gernot Rohr.
FIFA’s lack of communication, despite multiple inquiries regarding potential sanctions since March, left the situation unresolved until recently when they announced an investigation.
FIFA’s Rules on Ineligible Players
According to FIFA regulations, players receiving two cautions in separate matches are automatically suspended for the next game. If a team fields an ineligible player, the match is forfeited, resulting in a default score of 3-0 against the offending team.
This incident is not unprecedented; other nations have faced similar penalties in African World Cup qualifiers. For instance, in the 2018 qualifiers, Algeria won 3-0 after Nigeria fielded an ineligible player, and Cape Verde lost a playoff spot in 2014 due to using a suspended player in a key match against Tunisia.
