World Cup: South Africa To Appeal FIFA Ruling Over Mokoena Eligibility
The South African Football Association (SAFA) has confirmed it will appeal a FIFA Disciplinary Committee decision that handed Bafana Bafana a 3-0 defeat and imposed a fine over the alleged ineligible fielding of midfielder Teboho Mokoena in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Lesotho. Football kits
In a statement released on Monday, SAFA said it “acknowledges” the ruling, which declared that South Africa forfeited the 21 March 2025 fixture, originally played and won on the pitch, due to Mokoena’s participation. In addition to the forfeit, the Zurich-based body fined SAFA CHF 10,000 (approximately R210,000), while Mokoena received an official warning.
The Association described the sanction as “deeply disappointing” and “unprecedented,” criticising the process for being handled by a single-member panel “without reasons” and “without affording the Association an opportunity to present legal arguments.”
“The Association confirms that we have requested written reasons for the judgment and intend to lodge a formal appeal with the FIFA Appeals Committee within the prescribed 10-day period under FIFA’s disciplinary rules,” SAFA stated.
SAFA apologised to South Africans for what it called an “administrative oversight” but urged supporters to continue backing Bafana Bafana in their qualification campaign.
“Despite the outcome, we emphasise our continued commitment to supporting Bafana Bafana. The players and technical team have worked extremely hard, and we remain focused on ensuring they secure maximum points in the matches ahead,” the statement added.
The ruling has dealt a blow to South Africa’s qualification hopes, with the loss of three points and three goals altering the complexion of Group C in the African qualifiers.
Bafana Bafana will look to bounce back when they host Zimbabwe at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium on 10 October 2025, before taking on Rwanda at Mbombela Stadium on 14 October 2025. Both matches are scheduled to kick off at 18h00.
