Lesotho have vowed to take their complaint to FIFA if South Africa field midfielder Teboho Mokoena in their Group C match day seven World Cup qualifier.
The Secretary General of the Lesotho Football Association (LEFA), Mokhosi Mohap, said on Wednesday that they will not hesitate to act if the Bafana Bafana star appears in Hugo Broos’ squad.
“We want to make it very clear,” Mohap warned. “If South Africa lists Teboho Mokoena in their squad, we will lodge an official protest. The rules must be applied fairly, and we will protect the integrity of this qualification process.
“The game he missed against Benin was because he was dropped, not suspended. So the moment we see his name on the team sheet, we will lodge a protest to FIFA.”
The controversy goes back to South Africa’s 2-0 win over Lesotho in March, when Mokoena played despite being suspended after collecting two yellow cards in earlier matches.
The South African Football Association admitted the mistake but insisted the result should stand as Lesotho did not submit a formal protest at the time.
Coach Hugo Broos[1] accepted the error but played down its impact. “We did something bad, we did something we shouldn’t do, but there was no complaint,” he said.
However, FIFA’s rules allow the body to act on its own in such cases and it has previously deducted points from teams for similar offences.
The issue now threatens to overshadow South Africa’s campaign at a crucial stage of the qualifiers.
Bafana Bafana top Group C with 13 points, five ahead of Rwanda and Benin, and six clear of Nigeria, whom they host in Bloemfontein next Tuesday. Lesotho have six points, while Zimbabwe are bottom with four.
References
- ^ Coach Hugo Broos (sportsration.com)