The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has begun efforts to file a case against South Africa for fielding an ineligible player, Theboho Mokoena, in their 2-0 victory over Lesotho during the last round of World Cup qualifiers, according to OwnGoalNigeria.com.
Mokoena was supposed to be suspended for the match on Friday after accumulating two yellow cards in previous games. He received a booking in the 54th minute against Benin Republic on matchday 1 and another in the 52nd minute against Zimbabwe on matchday 4. According to the disciplinary section of the 2026 World Cup preliminary rulebook, he should have served a suspension due to accumulated bookings.
However, he played for 81 minutes, which could potentially result in South Africa forfeiting three points and three goals. FIFA’s World Cup Qualifiers Rulebook, specifically subsection 9, explicitly states that any player who receives two yellow cards in separate matches must serve a one-match suspension. A board member of the NFF confirmed that they are aware of the situation and have already begun internal deliberations to pursue the matter.
If found guilty, South Africa, currently leading the group, would lose three points, dropping to seven. Nigeria previously faced a similar sanction in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers when Shehu Abdullahi was mistakenly fielded against Algeria. After it was discovered that he should have been suspended, Nigeria was stripped of the one point earned from the 1-1 draw.
Source : https://owngoalnigeria.com/
