The hammer of the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) has finally fallen on South Africa after they were found guilty of running foul of the rules of the game.
FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee sanctioned the South African Football Association (SAFA) for fielding an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena, in the South Africa vs. Lesotho match played on 21 March 2025.
The South Africans were sanctioned for breaching Article 19 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC) and Article 14 of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Preliminary Competition Regulations.
Consequently, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee declared the match in question forfeited by the representative team of South Africa, with a scoreline of 3-0 in favour of Lesotho.
SAFA has also been ordered to pay a fine of CHF 10,000 to FIFA, while Teboho Mokoena has been issued a warning.
The parties were notified of the terms of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s decision today. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the FDC, they have ten days to request a motivated decision, which, if requested, would subsequently be published on legal.fifa.com. The forfeiture decision remains subject to a potential appeal before the FIFA Appeal Committee.
The development throws the contest for leadership of the group wide open, with second-placed Benin Republic and third-placed Nigeria closing in on the South Africans, with two rounds of matches left to be played.
