Although Nigeria sit six points behind South Africa, that could change if the Bafana Bafana are ducked points due to the Teboho Mokoena issue….
Former FIFA Disciplinary Council member Raymond Hack has stated that Nigeria does not have the grounds to protest Teboho Mokoena's yellow card issue, Soccernet.ng reports.
There has been some chaos in Group C of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers since March.
After the last set of games in March, it was revealed that South Africa fielded an ineligible player －Mokoena against Lesotho － a game he was not supposed to play, as he was ineligible after accumulating yellow cards in his first two games in the series.
However, South Africa have not admitted any wrongdoing and have even continued to play Mokoena.
Also, neither FIFA nor CAF have made any statement concerning the issue, and that has hasn't helped.
Meanwhile, a former FIFA Disciplinary Council member, Raymond, has shed light on the issued. He has stated that Nigeria is a third party in the issue. As such, they are not entitled to protest to FIFA. The only party who can lodge a protest is Lesotho.
“Nigeria can only protest the Mokoena issue if they want to play South Africa, and the ineligible player is on the team sheet. They will have to notify the referee and they captain first,” Raymond told SoccerBeat.
“They (Nigeria) can lodge a complaint on anything. But whether the complaint is valid and whether there are ground for hearing that complaint is a different story. Anybody can lodge a complaint, that's easy.
“A protest is specifically in terms of the rules. Unless they are protesting relating to the eligibility or something relating to the team sheet of the players taking to the field in the game against Nigeria, I can't see anything being done, and I can't see any validity to a protest.”
South Africa And Nigeria To Face On Tuesday: Will Teboho Mokoena Play?
Amid all the controversy, South Africa will play hosts to Nigeria at the on Tuesday at Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein on Tuesday.
According to Raymond Hack, Nigeria can only protest Teboho Mokoena's issue if he plays on Tuesday. And from all indications, he will.
He featured in their last game against Lesotho, which they won 3-0. Since he is an important player for Hugo Broos, he will likely start.
And so it ends at Free State Stadium #BafanaPride@SABC_Sport pic.twitter.com/cf6mtesenu
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) September 5, 2025
Nigeria will be hoping that Mokoena's issue favours them, as that could see South Africa ducked three points and three goals, which would hugely benefit the Super Eagles.
Nonetheless, the Super Eagles will look to claim all three points in Bloemfontein to keep the hope alive. Anything less than a win would definitely put paid to their World Cup dreams, whether the Bafana Bafana get ducked points or not.
