FIFA Deducts Three Points from South Africa in WCQ Over Ineligible Player

(Photo/courtesy)

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has 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 during the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers. The action breached Article 19 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC) and Article 14 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Preliminary Competition Regulations, FIFA announced.

As a result, the match has been forfeited 3-0 in favor of Lesotho. Additionally, SAFA has been fined CHF 10,000, while Mokoena received a formal warning.

The parties were notified of the decision today. In line with FIFA regulations, they have ten days to request a motivated decision, which would be published on legal.fifa.com. The forfeiture ruling remains subject to a potential appeal before the FIFA Appeal Committee.

Following this ruling, South Africa now has 14 points, level with Benin, while Nigeria and Rwanda sit third and fourth with 11 points, Lesotho has 9, and Zimbabwe remains on four.

To remain in contention for Group C’s top spot, South Africa must win their remaining two matches on 10 October against Zimbabwe and 14 October against Rwanda.

Calvin Kaumba Chikenge September 29, 2025

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Calvin Kaumba Chikenge is an award-winning Zambian multimedia sports journalist well known for his exclusive stories and feature writing. He was voted 2023/24 MTN/FAZ Super League journalist of the year. In addition to reporting on sports for Spring TV, he interned for the Zambia Daily Mail newspaper. He is the current Ballon d'Or juror and has contributed to numerous international publications, including the Guardian in the UK, and is the editor of BolaNews.