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South Africa Loses World Cup Qualifying Points for Fielding an Ineligible Player
The South African Football Association (SAFA) has been sanctioned for fielding an ineligible player in the 2026 World Cup’s preliminary competition, overturning a 2-0 win against Lesotho. The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has imposed a fine of CHF 10,000 and declared the match as forfeited by a score of 3-0 for breaching article 19 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC) and article 14 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Preliminary Competition Regulations.
A warning has been issued to the player, Teboho Mokoena, who was ineligible owing to the two yellow cards that had been slapped on him in the previous qualifying games. While the sanction is open for appeal, the process may overlap with the final games. The sanction has led to Benin leading Group C on goal difference.
