Oliseh: South Africa cannot escape FIFA hammer
Former Super Eagles captain Sunday Oliseh has insisted that FIFA will sanction South Africa for fielding an ineligible player in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Lesotho. Bafana Bafana top Group C with 16 points but their lead could shrink if FIFA confirms that Teboho Mokoena, who should have been suspended after accumulating two yellow cards in earlier qualifiers, was wrongly fielded in March’s clash against Lesotho.
Reacting via his Instagram handle, Oliseh said the matter is straightforward under FIFA rules.
“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.”
If FIFA enforces the punishment, South Africa would drop to 13 points, handing Lesotho a crucial boost in the race for qualification.
