SAFA begs Bafana Bafana fans to rally behind squad after grave FIFA decision over ineligible Mokoena

The South African Football Association (SAFA) has appealed to fans to throw their weight behind Bafana Bafana following FIFA’s ruling that stripped the team of their 2026 World Cup qualifier victory over Lesotho.

This comes after FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee declared that South Africa had forfeited the March 21 fixture after midfielder Teboho Mokoena was found to have been ineligible to play.

In the ruling, the match was awarded 3-0 to Lesotho, while SAFA was fined CHF 10,000 and Mokoena was issued a warning.

Reacting to the decision, SAFA raised concern about the processes involved in arriving at the ruling, bemoaning the lack of opportunity to present legal arguments.

“As SAFA, we are deeply disappointed with this unprecedented outcome noting that it was delivered by a single-member panel without reasons, and without affording the Association an opportunity to present legal arguments,” the Association said.

Despite plans to lodge an appeal, SAFA admitted to the administrative error and extended an apology to the nation. The Association stressed that attention must now shift to the final two qualifiers, urging South Africans to stand firmly behind the squad during this crucial stage.

“Despite the outcome, the Association emphasises its continued commitment to supporting Bafana Bafana in 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. Finally, we call on all South Africans to rally behind the team during this final and crucial stage of the qualifiers,” SAFA said.

Up next for the Bafana Bafana, the team will play Zimbabwe at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on October 10 before taking on Rwanda at the Mbombela Stadium on October 14.

The two key fixtures in Group C of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will determine whether South Africa can top the group to secure automatic qualification to the tournament or not.

Although South Africa is now second in the group standings, SAFA remains confident that the Bafana Bafana, led by Hugo Broos, has what it takes to secure the needed results next month to book a place at next year’s World Cup.