South Africa will challenge FIFA’s decision to remove BAFANA points

The South African Football Association (SAFA) accepts a decision by FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee that penalized the Association for placing midfielder Teboho Mokoena incorrectly in the 21 March 2025 FIFA World Cup qualifying match between South Africa and Lesotho.

According to the ruling, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee ruled that Bafana Bafana had forfeited the game by a score of 3-0. In addition, Mokoena has been warned and the Association has been required to pay a fine of CHF 10,000.

As SAFA, we express our profound disappointment with this unusual decision, pointing out that it was made by a one-member panel without justification or a chance for the Association to raise legal issues.

The Association affirms that we have asked for written justification for the ruling and that, in accordance with FIFA’s disciplinary regulations, we plan to formally appeal the decision to the FIFA Appeals Committee within the allotted 10-day window.

The Association emphasizes that it will continue to support Bafana Bafana in their qualification effort regardless of the result. We are still committed to making sure the players and technical staff earn as many points as possible in the upcoming games since they have put in a great deal of effort to get here.

“At the end of our qualifying campaign, we will consider the next course of action and apologize to the country for this administrative error. Finally, throughout this last and important phase of the qualifiers, we urge all South Africans to support the team.

The next games for Bafana Bafana are against Rwanda at the Mbombela Stadium on October 14, 2025, and Zimbabwe at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on October 10, 2025. The start of both games is set for 18:00.