What FIFA’s Disciplinary Code Says About South Africa's Mokoena Yellow Card Controversy

What FIFA’s Disciplinary Code Says About South Africa's Mokoena Yellow Card Controversy

Sampson Adedeji

Concerns have been raised about the potential impact on Bafana Bafana’s 2026 World Cup campaign after Teboho Mokoena played against Lesotho despite having accumulated two yellow cards in previous qualifiers, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

Mokoena received a booking during Bafana’s 2-1 victory over Benin in Durban on November 18, 2023, and another in their 3-1 win against Zimbabwe in Bloemfontein on June 11, 2024.

Between these World Cup qualifiers, he also featured in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers. According to FIFA’s rules, this meant Mokoena should have been suspended for Bafana’s 2-0 win over Lesotho at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane—a match that saw South Africa rise to the top of Group C with 10 points.

FIFA Disciplinary Code and the Mokoena Case FIFA’s Disciplinary Code states that “if a person receives a caution in two separate matches of the same FIFA competition, they are automatically suspended from the next match in that competition.”

This implies that Mokoena should not have participated in the Lesotho match. Additionally, the code clarifies that “cautions received during one competition are not carried over to another competition,” meaning his yellow cards from World Cup qualifiers were not reset by playing in AFCON qualifiers.

However, for disciplinary action to be taken, FIFA’s regulations require that protests be submitted in writing to the Disciplinary Committee within 24 hours of the match.

The complaint must be based on the participation of an ineligible player who failed to meet FIFA’s eligibility requirements. In such cases, FIFA’s judicial body “may impose any appropriate disciplinary measures.”

However, since Lesotho did not file a formal protest, it remains uncertain whether FIFA will take action on its own.

With the issue unresolved, Mokoena has been left out of Bafana’s squad for their upcoming clash against Benin at Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny on Tuesday night.