FIFA forfeits South Africa’s win over Lesotho for fielding ineligible player

FIFA forfeits South Africa’s win over Lesotho for fielding ineligible player

Abdullateef Fowewe

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has sanctioned the South African Football Association (SAFA) after it was confirmed that an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena, participated in the South Africa versus Lesotho match on 21 March 2025 during the FIFA World Cup 2026 preliminary competition.

This action violated Article 19 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC) and Article 14 of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Preliminary Competition Regulations.

As a result, FIFA has officially forfeited the match in favour of Lesotho, awarding a 3-0 victory against South Africa.

Additionally, SAFA has been fined CHF 10,000, while the player involved, Teboho Mokoena, has been issued a formal warning.

FIFA notified the affected parties of the decision on Monday.

According to the FIFA Disciplinary Code, both SAFA and Mokoena have ten days to request a detailed motivated decision.

Should they do so, the decision will be published on legal.fifa.com.

The current forfeiture ruling may be appealed before the FIFA Appeal Committee.

The impact on the standings is significant. South Africa had been clear leaders, but the deduction now places them level on points with Benin.

Nigeria and Rwanda, just three points behind, suddenly see their chances revived, with two decisive fixtures still to be played in the group.

Lesotho, who are officially credited with a 3-0 win, also benefit from the ruling, though their prospects of qualifying remain slim.