SAFA confirms FIFA has begun investigations into Teboho Mokoena! | OneFootball

SAFA confirms FIFA has begun investigations into Teboho Mokoena!

Of the many challenges that can befall a national team on the road to the World Cup, few are as self-inflicted and utterly avoidable as the one now looming over Bafana Bafana. At the heart of the storm is midfield linchpin Teboho Mokoena, whose participation in a crucial qualifier has triggered a formal FIFA investigation—a move that threatens to nullify a hard-fought victory and rewrite the group’s standings.

The controversy traces back to a matchday in Polokwane, where South Africa secured what seemed a solid 2-0 win against Lesotho. Unbeknownst to many, however, Mokoena took the field while carrying a suspension due to accumulated yellow cards—an oversight that has since evolved into a full-blown institutional crisis.

Now, the national federation faces an anxious wait. FIFA’s inquiry could strip South Africa of its three points, turning celebration into sanction and gifting Lesotho a 3-0 default victory. For a team with dreams of global football’s grandest stage, the error carries not just reputational cost—but a very real competitive one.

What did SAFA mention in its official statement?

Amid the growing unease surrounding a potential FIFA sanction, SAFA CEO Lydia Monyepao projects an air of defiant calm. While confirming that world football’s governing body has indeed opened an investigation into the eligibility mishap involving Teboho Mokoena, her message was not one of concern, but of forward-looking resolve.

Speaking at the announcement of Shield as Bafana Bafana’s new sponsor in Soweto, Monyepao acknowledged the situation, yet quickly pivoted to the future. “We’ve received communication from FIFA about the launching of the investigation,” she stated, before immediately shifting tone.

Her focus, and that of the association, lies squarely on the pitch. “We are not really worrying about that,” she asserted, framing the federation’s strategy not around hypothetical punishments, but concrete results. The ultimate insulation from any points deduction, in her view, is victory. “Whatever happens, whether there’s docking of points or whatever you are saying out there, if we get six points in October, nothing else is going to matter.”

For Monyepao and SAFA, the path forward is clear and uncomplicated: it’s all about securing Bafana Bafana’s passage to the 2026 World Cup.