South Africa Vows To Appeal Points Deduction Ruling as Minister Orders Probe

The South African Football Association (SAFA) has confirmed it will appeal a FIFA Disciplinary Committee decision that handed Bafana Bafana a 3-0 defeat and imposed a fine over the alleged ineligible fielding of midfielder Teboho Mokoena in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Lesotho. Football kits
In a statement released on Monday, SAFA said it “acknowledges” the ruling, which declared that South Africa forfeited the 21 March 2025 fixture, originally played and won on the pitch, due to Mokoena’s participation. In addition to the forfeit, the Zurich-based body fined SAFA CHF 10,000 (approximately R210,000), while Mokoena received an official warning.
The Association described the sanction as “deeply disappointing” and “unprecedented,” criticising the process for being handled by a single-member panel “without reasons” and “without affording the Association an opportunity to present legal arguments.”
“The Association confirms that we have requested written reasons for the judgment and intend to lodge a formal appeal with the FIFA Appeals Committee within the prescribed 10-day period under FIFA’s disciplinary rules,” SAFA stated.
The ruling has dealt a blow to South Africa’s qualification hopes, with the loss of three points and three goals altering the complexion of Group C in the African qualifiers.
Meanwhile, South Africa’s Minister of Sport, Gayton McKenzie, has ordered a full-scale investigation into the administrative blunder at the South African Football Association (SAFA) that led to Bafana Bafana being docked three crucial points in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.
Bafana’s qualification hopes suffered a major setback after FIFA ruled that the team had fielded an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena, during their 2–0 victory over Lesotho in March. Mokoena was supposed to serve a suspension for accumulating two yellow cards in previous Group C matches.
As a result, FIFA overturned the Polokwane result, awarding Lesotho a 3–0 win. The sanction dropped South Africa from 17 points to 14, and from first to second place in Group C — behind Benin, who now lead with a superior goal difference (+4 to South Africa’s +3).
In a strongly worded statement, McKenzie vowed that his ministry would “get to the bottom” of the fiasco and ensure that those responsible are held to account.
“We are committed to uncovering the root causes of this failure and ensuring accountability,” McKenzie said.
Bafana Bafana will look to bounce back when they host Zimbabwe at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium on 10 October 2025, before taking on Rwanda at Mbombela Stadium on 14 October 2025.