Bafana Bafana defenders face suspension risk against Kenya

Bafana Bafana will have to manage a disciplinary concern when they face Kenya in their third Group D qualifier at Orlando Stadium on Friday evening, with central defenders Ime Okon and Olwethu Makhanya both one yellow card away from a suspension.

Okon was booked for a foul during the opening qualifier against Guinea, a match in which Thapelo Maseko was also cautioned. Makhanya then entered the disciplinary equation after receiving a yellow card for a bookable offence in the first half of the second qualifier against Eritrea.

Maseko is absent from the latest camp because of injury, leaving Okon and Makhanya as the two Bafana players currently carrying cautions. South Africa have four further matches to play in the group after the meeting with Kenya.

The situation is significant because a second booking would trigger a one-match suspension under the Confederation of African Football (CAF) regulations governing the qualifying phase.

CAF rules on yellow cards

Chapter 17, which covers player sanctions, states that a player who receives two cautions during either the qualifying phase or the final tournament is automatically suspended for the next match. CAF’s Secretariat is responsible for informing the relevant national associations.

Yellow cards collected during qualifying do not carry over into the final tournament. During the tournament itself, cautions are cancelled after the group stage, although a player who has reached two yellow cards must still serve the resulting one-match ban.

A player sent off is automatically suspended for the next match in the same competition, in addition to any further punishment that may subsequently be imposed.

Before each fixture, the CAF Secretariat must provide match commissioners and referees with the names of suspended players. Those players are not permitted to take part, and officials who allow them to do so may be sanctioned by CAF.

The national association is responsible for keeping an accurate record of the sanctions and is liable for any breach of the regulations. A team fielding an ineligible or suspended player in a direct knock-out match would forfeit the game and be eliminated, even without a protest.

In a group match, the punishment is a 3-0 defeat, again regardless of whether an objection or reservation is made.

South Africa have defensive cover

Pitso Mosimane does have alternatives available should either Okon or Makhanya be suspended. Mbekezeli Mbokazi is back as a defensive option, while Lebone Seema can also fill the role if required.

That depth could prove important as Bafana Bafana seek to continue their qualifying campaign without losing a member of their preferred central defensive pairing.