The Lesotho Football Association secretary-general Mokhosi Mohapi has demanded that FIFA punish South Africa for fielding an ineligible player in their 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers on Friday, Soccernet.ng reports.
South Africa lead Group C of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers with 13 points after pickings wins against Lesotho and Benin in their last two games in this international break. However, they are in hot soup after it was discovered that they fielded an ineligible player against Lesotho.
Coach Hugo Broos named Teboho Mokoena in his lineup against Lesotho. But the midfielder had accumulated two yellow cards against Benin and Zimbabwe, thus rendering him ineligible for the Lesotho game.
EXPLAINER: @Velile_Mnyandu breaks down exactly how South Africa failed to notice "ineligible" Teboho Mokoena should not have played vs Lesotho in qualifying — and how Fifa CMS differs from the CAF version.
Conclusion: Bafana may be in trouble.pic.twitter.com/BTzpYCdcnj
— Gary Al-Smith (@garyalsmith) March 25, 2025
This situation is similar to what happened to Nigeria at the 2018 World Cup Qualifiers, when they were ducked three points after fielding Shehu Abdullahi, who had accumulated two yellow cards beforehand.
According to FIFA disciplinary rules Article 19.1 and 19.2, if a team fields an ineligible player, such team could face appropriate disciplinary measures when the opposing team protests. The punishment is the forfeiture of the match and a CHF 6,000 fine at least.
In a related development, the Lesotho FA secretary-general Mohapi has expressed his dissatisfaction with the situation, and they are demanding the forfeiture of the match, with the three points handed to them.
“The question is, was a rule broken? If yes, we are fully entitled to protest and get the points. We were made aware of Mokoena’s bookings, and we have since sent a formal inquiry to CAF and Fifa,” Mohapi told the Sowetan.
“We have heard that Nigeria also want to protest and they too are entitled to that because the result (last Friday) prejudices everyone. Suppose it was us who fielded a defaulter and got the points, Bafana would have done the same.
“Unfortunately, the law is the law and Safa should have known about the bookings. We have no hard feelings. We want those points.”
What does this mean for Nigeria's World Cup dreams?
Although FIFA has not made a decision yet, it is very likely that South Africa will be ducked three points. If this happens, they will drop to ten points, just three points ahead of Nigeria. They also have a +5 goal difference, but if Lesotho are awarded a 3-0 win, their goal difference will drop to +2, just one better than Nigeria.
If Lesotho get the three points, they will jump to fourth with a +2 goal difference, while Nigeria will drop to fifth with a +1 goal difference.
But even if Nigeria falls to fifth when South Africa are ducked points, it still profits the Super Eagles, as the Bafana Bafana are Nigeria's biggest problems in Group C. It is expected that Rwanda, Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Benin will cancel out each other. So, Nigeria will just have to win their remaining games against Rwanda, go to South Africa and beat them, then defeat Lesotho and Benin
Unfortunately, the Super Eagles have not been convincing in the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers series, so they could still end up bottling the advantage.
