FIFA Launches Investigation into South Africa’s Federation Over Lesotho Match Issues

For nearly six months, FIFA has delayed a decision regarding the match between South Africa and Lesotho, where banned player Teboho Mokoena was part of the Bafana Bafana team. It appeared that the situation had been forgotten, bringing some relief. However, as the qualifiers near their end, troubling news has surfaced.

Details: SABC reports that on September 15, South Africa’s football federation received a letter from FIFA accusing both the player and the federation of breaching several disciplinary rules, including the inclusion of an ineligible player.

This case has been passed to FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee, and both the federation and Mokoena have six days to respond. If found guilty, South Africa will face a technical loss in the match against Lesotho, along with potential financial penalties.

Reminder: If a technical loss is enforced, South Africa will have the same points as Benin (14 points each after eight games), but will remain at the top of the group due to a better goal difference (+6 compared to Benin’s +4).

To secure a direct spot in the 2026 World Cup, South Africa must win against both Zimbabwe and Rwanda in their last two qualifiers this October, assuming Benin doesn’t lose points and Nigeria wins both remaining matches, hoping for a misstep from Bafana Bafana.