The Nigeria Football Federation has dismissed recent media claims suggesting that FIFA cleared South Africa of fielding an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena, during their World Cup qualifying match against Lesotho.
Mokoena’s Eligibility Questioned
Mokoena, a key midfielder for Bafana Bafana, was allegedly supposed to serve a suspension for the March fixture against Lesotho after accumulating two yellow cards earlier in the qualifiers.
Under FIFA rules, any team fielding an ineligible player can face a three-point deduction if the opposing side lodges a protest within 24 hours of the match.
Despite reports circulating on FIFA’s X account on Tuesday suggesting that South Africa had been cleared, the NFF says nothing official has been received.
NFF Yet To Receive Official Word
Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja, NFF Director of Communications Ademola Olajire clarified, “There has been no official communication to that effect. What people are reporting is a tweet on their (FIFA) X account. We don’t regard that as official communication.”
2026 WCQ Group C Update
Currently, South Africa sit comfortably atop Group C with 17 points from eight matches.
Benin Republic are in second place with 14 points, while Rwanda and Nigeria are level on 11 points. Lesotho and Zimbabwe occupy the bottom of the table with six and four points, respectively.