South Africa coach Hugo Broos has pointed the finger at Nigeria following FIFA’s deduction of three points from Bafana Bafana’s World Cup qualifying campaign for fielding an ineligible player against Lesotho.
The ruling, announced in September 2025, stems from Teboho Mokoena’s participation in the March qualifier, a match South Africa had initially won 2-0.
While FIFA cited the administrative breach as the reason for the points penalty, Broos suggested that the matter might not have come to light had Nigeria not pressed for action.
Speaking to Belgian newspaper HetNieuwsblad, the Belgian tactician said: "Not Lesotho, not I or my staff, and not the player in question were aware of any wrongdoing. Neither was FIFA. The disciplinary committee met three times since then, without issue—until two weeks before this crucial fixture. No doubt this was due to pressure from Nigeria, which was in a losing position and now has another chance."
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Broos lamented the impact the deduction could have on South Africa’s World Cup hopes but maintained that his team would learn from the error. "Those yellow cards were from a year and a half ago, but it will never happen to us again. Ten men have been keeping track of the yellow cards ever since," he said.
Despite the frustration, Broos insisted Bafana Bafana must focus on their final group match against Rwanda to keep qualification alive.
With the standings tight, South Africa sit on 15 points, two behind group leaders Benin and one ahead of Nigeria, who could still influence the outcome with a win over Benin in Uyo.
"We have to go to that match believing that maybe, with a little miracle on Tuesday, we can still qualify," Broos said.
He he acknowledged the challenge posed by Benin’s goal difference advantage (+5 to Nigeria’s +3) but stressed that South Africa’s fate remains in their own hands.
Bafana Bafana arrived in Mpumalanga on Saturday to prepare for the crucial tie, though they will be without defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi, who received a last-minute red card against Zimbabwe in Friday’s fixture.
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