Broos Hints at External Influence in FIFA’s Sanction Over Mokoena Eligibility Case

Broos Hints at External Influence in FIFA’s Sanction Over Mokoena Eligibility Case

By Admin 

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has raised questions over the timing and nature of FIFA’s recent decision to deduct points from South Africa in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, suggesting the ruling may have been swayed by behind-the-scenes lobbying, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

Earlier this week, FIFA announced that South Africa would forfeit three points for fielding ineligible midfielder Teboho Mokoena during their 2–0 victory over Lesotho in March. The decision also included a CHF 10,000 (R216,500) fine for the South African Football Association (SAFA), while Mokoena received a formal warning. SAFA has since confirmed its intention to appeal the ruling.

At the centre of the sanction is a technical oversight: Mokoena had accumulated two yellow cards during previous qualifiers — against Benin in November 2023 and Zimbabwe in June 2024 which should have resulted in a one-match suspension. His appearance against Lesotho, therefore, rendered him ineligible.

As a result, FIFA has overturned the match result, awarding Lesotho a 3–0 victory. South Africa’s tally drops from 17 to 14 points in Group C, placing them second behind Benin, who now lead on goal difference.

Speaking during the announcement of his 23-man squad for the final two qualifiers against Zimbabwe and Rwanda, Broos questioned the process that led to the FIFA ruling, calling it “very strange” and suggesting that external forces may have influenced the outcome.

“For the first two hours after hearing the news, I was shocked because I didn’t expect it certainly not the way it happened,” Broos said. “The FIFA disciplinary committee met three times, including during the period of the Lesotho game and again in September. South Africa was never mentioned.”

According to Broos, it was only after the final meeting that FIFA abruptly reopened the case.

 “One day after the last meeting, we suddenly got a letter from FIFA that the case had been reopened. Very strange. What happened in the previous sanction meetings?” he asked.

“That suggests there has been a lot of lobbying behind the scenes — that’s for sure.”

While Broos acknowledged that SAFA’s failure to enforce Mokoena’s suspension warranted punishment, he expressed concern over what he sees as an unusual escalation of the issue, which reportedly only came to light after an external party flagged the oversight.

Although Broos did not mention any names, speculation points to Nigeria as a possible source of the complaint. Neither South Africa nor Lesotho had raised concerns at the time of the match.

With their qualification campaign now hanging in the balance, South Africa must win both remaining home matches in October — against Zimbabwe and Rwanda — and hope Benin slips up in their challenging away fixtures against Rwanda and Nigeria. “We made a mistake and we’re being punished — we accept that,” Broos concluded. “But the way this unfolded raises serious questions.”