Safa may dodge sanctions despite Bafana's player suspension oversight

IN a significant development that arose this week after all the airtime arising from their engagement with the Portfolio Committee on Sports, Arts and Culture, the South African Football Association (Safa) is on the verge of evading sanctions for a serious oversight.

- HERMAN GIBBS

At the heart of the discussions was an incident involving Bafana Bafana midfielder Teboho Mokoena, whose suspension oversight could lead to severe repercussions for the association and their Fifa 2026 World Cup qualifying aspirations.

However, indications suggest that Safa is likely to sidestep any penalties. This came after the Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder was fielded in the Fifa 2026 World Cup qualifier against Lesotho even though he was suspended.

He picked up two yellow cards in previous qualifiers against Benin and Zimbabwe and was not eligible to play against Lesotho.

Bafana, who defeated Lesotho 2-0 in that game, lead Group C with a five-point gap over second-placed rivals Rwanda and Benin.

The other group teams are Nigeria (seven points), Lesotho (six) and Zimbabwe (four). CAF's secretariat plays a pivotal role in maintaining the integrity of its tournaments, including the FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifying.