SAFA 'not worried' about FIFA investigation into Bafana's Teboho Mokoena error

The South African Football Association says it is unconcerned by FIFA's decision to open disciplinary proceedings against them for fielding suspended midfielder Teboho Mokoena in a FIFA World Cup qualifier against Lesotho. FIFA confirmed this week it had opened a case after South Africa used Mokoena in their 2-0 win over Lesotho in March, despite the midfielder having accumulated two yellow cards earlier in the qualifiers, which should have triggered an automatic one-match suspension. We've received communication from FIFA about the investigation that they have launched in terms of the Lesotho match that Teboho Mokoena was fielded, SAFA chief executive Lydia Monyepao confirmed to reporters on Thursday in South Africa. We are preparing our response to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee because that is what ultimately is required from us as an association. According to the FIFA Disciplinary Code: If a team fields a player who is not eligible to participate (due to suspension, registration issues, nationality, etc.), the match is automatically forfeited. The default result is a 3-0 loss, unless the actual result was even more disadvantageous to the offending team. The Nigerian Football Federation have welcomed the decision, which gives the Super Eagles a slim hope of qualifying. They sit in third place in Group C, with 11 points, while Bafana lead the group on 17. It is nothing less than is expected, said NFF Director of Communications Ademola Olajire. They have started a process that should have started maybe a little earlier and we now await the outcome. But for us, our focus remains on making sure that the Super Eagles can win their remaining two games and see what happens after that. Monyepao, who played for SA's women's national team Banyana Banyana, said SAFA would focus on making the consequences of that investigation moot but winning their remaining qualifying fixtures. She added: We are not really worried about that. I think our focus right now is to ensure that Bafana Bafana gets maximum points come October because whatever happens, whether there is docking of points or whatever you're saying out there, if we get six points come October, nothing else is going to matter. If South Africa are sanctioned, it would dramatically alter Group C in African qualifying. Bafana Bafana currently top the group with 17 points, three ahead of Benin and six clear of Nigeria and Rwanda. Docking three points and three goals would leave Bafana level with Benin on 14. Crucially, the West Africans would go top of the group with a superior goals difference of +4, as Bafana would drop from +8 to +2, with two matches to play next month. The possibility of sanctions has hung over the group for months after FIFA delayed action, fueling speculation in South Africa that the governing body might let the matter slide. Bafana coach Hugo Broos even said at one point he thought they had gotten away with it. We did something bad, we did something we shouldn't do, but there was no complaint, Broos told reporters in the pre-match press conference before the last round of matches. Opponents were less forgiving. Benin coach Gernot Rohr, whose team is chasing South Africa at the top of the standings, criticized FIFA's silence. It is not normal that we don't know the situation about the points on the log table before our games, Rohr told reporters in the pre-match press conference ahead of their last game in September. Normally, South Africa should lose three points and they should go to Lesotho. But nobody knows why they did not take this decision. FIFA should now very quickly give the decision. Rohr was speaking from experience. In 2018, when he was Nigeria coach, the Super Eagles were docked the points and goals for using Shehu Abdullahi against Algeria while suspended. Ultimately, the lapse did not cost Nigeria qualification, as the Super Eagles had amassed more than enough points. Cape Verde also suffered a similar fate when they lost out of the 2014 playoffs for fielding an ineligible player against Tunisia, handing their spot to the North Africans, that they had beaten in a huge upset win. This time, although SAFA have admitted their error, they are banking on results on the field to render any punishment irrelevant, just like Nigeria in 2018. It is all about Bafana Bafana getting to USA, Mexico and Canada in 2026, Monyepao said.

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SAFA 'not worried' about FIFA investigation into Bafana's Teboho Mokoena error