Mokoena played against Lesotho while on suspension
For 19 long months, two yellow cards sat quietly in Teboho Mokoena’s record, unnoticed and unresolved.
Now, those forgotten cautions have come back to haunt South Africa in the most brutal way possible.
On Monday, September 29, 2025, FIFA stripped Bafana Bafana of three points, not for losing on the pitch, but for fielding their midfield star when he should have been suspended.
The chain of events began on November 18, 2023, when South Africa kicked off their World Cup qualifying campaign against Benin.
South Africa deducted three points in 2026 World Cup qualifiers
In the 54th minute of a 2-1 win, Mokoena was booked, the first mark against his name in the qualifiers.
Then, silence. The team went on, through 13 more games, including an entire AFCON tournament, without another caution for the midfielder.
It wasn’t until June 11, 2024, that his second yellow card arrived. Against Zimbabwe in Bloemfontein, he went into the books in the 52nd minute of a 3-1 victory.
According to FIFA’s rules, that should have triggered an automatic one-match suspension.
Instead, Mokoena played on. By the time South Africa faced Lesotho on March 21, 2025, he had featured in 21 internationals and 19 months of football since his first booking.
The suspension wasn’t caught by officials, and according to reports, even Lesotho failed to lodge an appeal within the deadline.
But the warning signs were not invisible; fans spotted the error early, fearing it could come back to bite Bafana Bafana. Their worst fears have now materialised.
Adding to the irony, at club level with Mamelodi Sundowns, Mokoena collected 24 yellow cards in 84 games during the same span, and every suspension was served without error.
The national team, however, missed the warning signs.
The punishment leaves South Africa on 14 points, tied with Benin but trailing on goal difference. Nigeria sit third with 11 points, suddenly handed a lifeline.
With two games left in October 2025, South Africa’s race to North America and their first World Cup appearance since hosting the tournament in 2010 is now on a knife’s edge.
FKA/JE
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