Gernot Rohr, head coach of the Benin Republic’s Cheetahs, has commented that FIFA’s recent decision to deduct three points from South Africa is belated.
On Monday, FIFA confirmed a 3-0 victory for Lesotho in the Group C qualifier held on March 21. Initially, Bafana Bafana won the match 2-0, but they fielded Teboho Mokoena, who was supposed to be suspended after accumulating two yellow cards in the group stages.
As a result of this decision, Rohr’s team tops the group with 14 points, while South Africa sits in second place with the same number of points. Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Rwanda follow in third and fourth with 11 points each.
Rohr stated on Brila FM regarding FIFA’s ruling, “While it’s logical to deduct three points from South Africa, it’s coming very late—six months after it should have been done. Now we have two challenging away games in Rwanda and against Nigeria in Uyo. South Africa will play their last two matches at home, meaning they will have seven home games out of ten in these qualifiers, as Lesotho and Zimbabwe are hosting their matches in South Africa. However, we will strive to qualify while remaining humble.”
In response, the South African Football Association (SAFA) has announced its intention to appeal FIFA’s decision to dock them three points.
