For fielding ineligible player, the Bafana Bafana of South Africa has lost three points during one of their qualifying matches, raising the stake for Super Eagles qualifying at the FIFA World Cup qualifying series.
Super Eagles of Nigeria have been handed a glimmer of hope as they sit in third place, just three points behind South Africa, with two games remaining.
FIFA’s verdict is contained on Monday.in a statement, said it’s Disciplinary Committee confirmed that South Africa fielded an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena, in their World Cup qualification Group C match against Lesotho, played on 21 March 2025.
The panel ruled that Bafana Bafana breached “article 19 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC) and article 14 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Preliminary Competition Regulations.
According to TheCable, FIFA Committee then declared that South Africa “forfeited” the match to their opponents by a score of 3-0.
The three points from the game have been awarded to Lesotho, while Bafana Bafana’s 17-point lead at the top of the group has been reduced to 14 points.
