World football governing body FIFA delivered a blow to South Africa’s World Cup hopes when they handed the maximum punishment to Bafana Bafana for fielding an ineligible Teboho Mokoena in the qualifier against Lesotho.
Mokoena was shown a yellow card in Bafana’s World Cup qualifier against Benin in Durban on November 18, 2023, and another against Zimbabwe in Bloemfontein on June 11, 2024.
On March 21 of this year, Mokoena played against Lesotho in Polokwane when he should have been serving a one-match suspension, which is where all the drama began for Hugo Broos and Bafana Bafana.
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In a ruling announced on Monday, Bafana Bafana’s 2-0 victory has been overturned into a 3-0 loss.
Bafana, who had held a 3-point lead over Benin in Group C, now drop to second place, while their goal difference has been slashed to +3.
What do Bafana Bafana need to do?
With two games left to play, Broos’ men would need to win both games while hoping that Benin drop points in at least one of them. The first of their two games remaining sees them up against neighbours Zimbabwe, which is scheduled to be played at the Obed Itani Chilume Stadium in Francistown, Botswana, on October 10, 2025.
They then round off their qualifying campaign with a home fixture against Rwanda.
Benin, on the other hand, travel to Rwanda for their first game before a daunting trip to Nigeria. Should Benin win both games, South Africa would then have a chance to go through the play-offs, but they would need to be one of the best four second-place finishers.
The road to qualification has suddenly become much steeper for Broos and his men, but the situation is far from hopeless. With everything still to play for, South Africa’s fate in no longer fully in their own hands, and one slip could cost them a place at the biggest showpiece in world football.
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