Former Nigerian international Sunday Oliseh believed South Africa will not escape the sledgehammer from FIFA after fielding an ineligible player against Lesotho in a 2026 World Cup qualifier.
Recall that Bafana Bafana fielded Teboho Mokoena against Lesotho in March 2025, despite him picking up two yellow cards in previous qualifiers and being due to serve a match suspension.
South Africa lead the pack with 16 points, but that could drop to 13 if the world’s football governing body takes the drastic decision.
Oliseh, via his official Instagram handle, stated that South Africa are in trouble for fielding Mokoena and that it’s a matter of time for FIFA to intervene.
“To the best of my knowledge South Africa is in trouble.
“If a team fields an ineligible player and a valid protest is upheld, standard penalties include the forfeiture of the match.
“The result is typically overturned to a 3-0 defeat for the offending team, regardless of the actual score, resulting in the loss of three points for South Africa in this case and an award of three points to Lesotho.”
