South Africa docked World Cup qualifying points after fielding ineligible player

South Africa have been stripped of three World Cup qualifying points after fielding an ineligible player earlier this year against Lesotho.

Tebeho Mokoena, a midfielder with South African Premiership side Mamelodi Sundowns, played in a 2-0 win over Lesotho at the Peter Mokaba stadium in Polokwane on 21 March.

After being cautioned in qualifying matches against Benin and Zimbabwe earlier in the campaign, however, the 28-year-old should have served a one-match ban.

Why South Africa lost three points and were fined £9,345

Mokoena’s inclusion was queried by Lesotho and, following an investigation by world governing body Fifa, Lesotho have been awarded a 3-0 victory.

“The Fifa disciplinary committee has declared the match in question to have been forfeited by the representative team of South Africa by a score of 3-0,” read an announcement on the organisation’s website. 

“The South African Football Association has also been ordered to pay a fine of CHF 10,000 [£9,345] to Fifa, while Teboho Mokoena has been issued with a warning.”

The decision means South Africa now sit second in African qualifying group C behind Benin, who lead on goal difference. South Africa have 10 days in which to appeal the decision.

Both teams have two games remaining in the race to qualify for the World Cup, with South Africa away to Zimbabwe on 10 October before facing Rwanda at home four days later. Benin visit Rwanda and Nigeria on the same dates.   

The Fifa disciplinary code states: “If a team fields a player who is not eligible to participate (due to suspension, registration issues, nationality, etc), the match is automatically forfeited. The default result is a 3-0 loss, unless the actual result was even more disadvantageous to the offending team.”

South Africa head coach: “We did something we shouldn’t do’

While Benin’s manager, Gernot Rohr, has criticised Fifa’s failure to act more swiftly – “South Africa has to lose three points,” the German complained earlier this month, “what are [Fifa] waiting for? It is incomprehensible” – the official stance has been more conciliatory. 

“Even if they just caution South Africa, it will be OK,” Mokhosi Mohapi, secretary general of the Lesotho Football Association, told the BBC. “If they give us the points, so be it. [It would be] the cherry on top. 

“There’s no malice but it’s just that we are looking for the regulations to be adhered to. If it were us who had defeated South Africa, wouldn’t [they] do the same?”

Hugo Broos, the South Africa manager, previously admitted: “We did something bad, we did something we shouldn’t do.”

Mokoena is not related to the former Blackburn Rovers and Portsmouth defender Aaron Mokoena.