The South African Football Association (SAFA) has confirmed it will appeal FIFA’s decision to sanction the country for fielding ineligible midfielder Teboho Mokoena during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Lesotho on 21 March 2025.
FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee ruled that South Africa had breached competition regulations, declaring the fixture forfeited 3-0 in favour of Lesotho.
The committee also ordered SAFA to pay a fine of CHF 10,000, while Mokoena received an official warning.
In a statement, SAFA expressed deep disappointment with what it described as an “unprecedented outcome,” noting that the decision was made by a single-member panel “without reasons, and without affording the Association an opportunity to present legal arguments.”
The Association confirmed it has formally requested written reasons for the ruling and will file a formal appeal with the FIFA Appeals Committee within the stipulated 10-day period.
Despite the sanction, SAFA reiterated its support for Bafana Bafana as they continue their qualification campaign:
“The players and the technical team have worked extremely hard to reach this stage, and we remain focused on ensuring they secure maximum points in the matches ahead. We apologise to the nation for this administrative oversight and will reflect on the steps to take at the conclusion of our qualifying campaign.”
South Africa’s next two fixtures will see them face Zimbabwe on 10 October 2025 at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, before hosting Rwanda on 14 October 2025 at the Mbombela Stadium. Both games will kick off at 18:00.
