KUALA LUMPUR – South Africa has been hit with a three-point deduction in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers after fielding a suspended player, a ruling that the country’s sports minister described as an embarrassment to the nation.
FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee announced on Monday that the South African Football Association (SAFA) had breached regulations by playing midfielder Teboho Mokoena in their qualifier against Lesotho on March 21.
Mokoena, 28, should have been serving a one-match suspension after accumulating two yellow cards.
As punishment, FIFA ordered the fixture forfeited, awarding Lesotho a 3-0 win. The ruling also included a fine of 10,000 Swiss Francs (about RM53,700), while Mokoena himself was issued a warning.
“This development is deeply regrettable and has brought embarrassment to our nation and the game of football,” South Africa’s Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie said in a statement carried by Xinhua.
He added that the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture would investigate the “incompetence” that led to the sanction.
At the same time, McKenzie thanked FIFA for delivering its decision swiftly rather than leaving the team in limbo.
The deduction saw South Africa’s national team, Bafana Bafana, drop to second in Group C of the African qualifiers, level on points with Benin but behind on goal difference.
Despite the setback, McKenzie said the squad remained well-placed to progress, with two matches left against Zimbabwe in Durban and Rwanda in Mbombela.
“This deduction is but a bump in the road, and we believe that we remain firmly on track for qualification; our belief in the team’s ability to succeed is unshaken,” he said.
SAFA has 10 days to lodge an appeal against the decision. — September 30, 2025
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