The Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) are yet to release a statement regarding South Africa's ineligible player.

The Lesotho Football Association has called on FIFA to be fair in its judgment, as Bafana Bafana violated a section of the rules governing the game.

Other countries may join Lesotho and Nigeria in demanding a 3-point deduction from South Africa.

FIFA remain silent on South Africa’s case

According to NewsTap, FIFA has not responded to an official inquiry regarding the deduction of three points and three goals from Bafana Bafana.

South Africa fielded midfielder Teboho Mokoena in their match against Lesotho on March 21 at Peter Mokaba Stadium, even though he had two yellow cards from previous matches, per TntSports.

Bafana Bafana won 2-0, with goals from Relebohile Mofokeng and Jayden Adams.

South Africa are currently sitting comfortably at the top of the table with 13 points, as coach Hugo Broos remains determined to lead the team to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Meanwhile, Lesotho sit in fifth position with six points from six matches.

Can South Africa escape FIFA sanction?

South Africa pundits are postulating that the Lesotho Football Association failed to utilise the 24-hour window provided to file a protest.

According to the FIFA World Cup qualifying regulations, a player who receives two yellow cards becomes ineligible to participate in the following match.

The Lesotho Football Association (LFA) confirmed sending a query to FIFA on the eligibility of South African midfielder Teboho Mokoena after losing 0-2 to Bafana Bafana in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. (Photo: @BafanaBafana/X) pic.twitter.com/pAmbx0D2Js

— CGTN Africa (@cgtnafrica) March 25, 2025

The rule book says:

“Protests regarding the eligibility of players selected for matches in the preliminary competition shall be submitted in writing to the FIFA Match Commissioner within two hours of the match in question and followed up with a full written report, including a copy of the original protest, to be submitted to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee in accordance with the applicable provisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Code and by email to qualifiers@fifa.org within 24 hours of the end of the match and shall be dealt with by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, otherwise they will be disregarded."

Nigeria faced similar challenges during their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign, but no protest was filed.

The Super Eagles were penalised by FIFA for fielding Shehu Abdullahi, an ineligible player, in a 1-1 draw against Algeria per BBC.