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Group C leaders, South Africa are vulnerable to dropping three essential factors within the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers after fielding an ineligible participant, Teboho Mokoena, of their 2-0 victory over Lesotho final Friday.
Teboho, a Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder, had already collected two yellow playing cards within the qualifiers earlier than the sport towards Lesotho, making him ineligible to function.
In line with FIFA’s World Cup qualifying rules, a participant is robotically suspended for the following match after receiving two cautions in numerous video games.
“If gamers or crew officers obtain two cautions in a single match (in matches determined by penalties) or in two completely different matches of the competitors, they are going to be robotically suspended from their crew’s subsequent match,” FIFA’s rule guide states.
Teboho’s Suspension and South Africa’s Threat
Teboho’s bookings got here throughout:
- South Africa’s 2-1 win over Benin (November 2023) – Cautioned within the 54th minute.
- South Africa’s 3-1 win over Zimbabwe (June 2024) – Cautioned within the 52nd minute.
Regardless of being suspended, Mokoena began and performed 82 minutes towards Lesotho, earlier than being substituted for Thalente Mbatha.
Will South Africa Be Penalized?
For Nigeria or Lesotho to learn from South Africa’s error, they should have submitted a protest inside FIFA’s stipulated time-frame.
FIFA’s disciplinary code states:
“Protests relating to the eligibility of gamers chosen for matches within the preliminary competitors shall be submitted in writing to the FIFA Match Commissioner inside two hours of the match in query and adopted up with a full written report, together with a duplicate of the unique protest, to be submitted to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee inside 24 hours.”
If the protest was submitted on time and is upheld, Lesotho (at present on 5 factors) will probably be awarded three factors, taking them to eight factors—which may influence Nigeria’s possibilities of qualification.
South Africa Reply with One other Win Amid Controversy
South Africa strengthened their lead in Group C with one other 2-0 win over Benin in Abidjan on Tuesday amid the looming danger of a factors deduction.
Objectives from Burnley striker, Lyle Foster and Jayden Adams sealed their fourth victory within the qualifiers, extending their result in 5 factors over second-placed groups.
What It Means for Nigeria
If FIFA deducts three factors from South Africa, Nigeria may have a practical likelihood of overtaking them within the standings, relying on upcoming outcomes.
Nevertheless, if no formal protest was lodged inside the required 24-hour timeframe, South Africa’s win over Lesotho will stand, protecting them firmly in pole place for an automated qualification spot.
With solely 4 matches remaining, Nigeria should now win their upcoming video games and hope for a slip-up from South Africa to maintain their World Cup dream alive.
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