Overview

• FIFA’s disciplinary panel ruled South Africa fielded ineligible midfielder Teboho Mokoena against Lesotho after he accrued two yellow cards in prior qualifiers.
• The original 2-0 result is overturned to a 3-0 defeat, SAFA is fined CHF 10,000, and Mokoena receives a formal warning.
• South Africa falls to 14 points and trails Benin on goal difference, with Nigeria and Rwanda three points back and Lesotho moving up to nine.
• South Africa next faces Zimbabwe on October 10 in Durban and hosts Rwanda on October 14, with only the group winner qualifying directly and the runner-up entering an African playoff route.
• SAFA has 10 days to request the motivated decision and may appeal to FIFA’s Appeal Committee, while rivals have criticized the nearly seven-month wait for a ruling.