South African football icon Jomo Sono has warned that the three-point deduction handed to Bafana Bafana over the Teboho Mokoena yellow card drama could negatively affect the players as they conclude their World Cup qualification campaign.
Bafana have had their best qualification campaign in years and seemed to be cruising as they held a healthy gap at the top of the Group C standings.
However, after FIFA punished them for fielding Mokoena in a match against Lesotho when he should have been serving a suspension, Bafana now find themselves in second place, with their fate taken completely out of their hands.
The whole debacle, according to Sono, himself a former Bafana coach, has put unnecessary pressure on the players.
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“It has put a lot of strain and stress on the players and the coach, because what happens if we play a draw with Zimbabwe and then Benin or Nigeria win twice? It will reflect badly on us as a football nation, and the person who is responsible will be the team manager,” he said, as quoted by FARPost.
According to Sono, the blame will fall on team manager Vincent Tseka should South Africa fail to book their spot in next year’s tournament in North America.
“The team manager will be responsible because he made the blunder. He must just pray that South Africa qualifies with that blunder,” the Orlando Pirates legend said.
His comments come ahead of a crucial fixture for Bafana, whose game against Zimbabwe kicks off at 6pm on Friday evening. At the same time, Rwanda host Benin, while Lesotho host Nigeria at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane. Anything short of a victory could be disastrous for Bafana if Benin and Nigeria win their games.
Sono’s remarks underline just how high the stakes have become for Hugo Broos’s side, who were once in full control of their destiny. Now, with their qualification hopes hanging in the balance, Bafana will need to summon every ounce of resilience and focus to overcome the off-field turmoil.
Friday’s clash has become a defining moment that could either cement South Africa’s return to the global stage or leave the country ruing a costly administrative error for years to come.
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