SA soccer bosses were left with red faces and bruised egos after a costly administrative bungle jeopardised their chances of playing at the 2026 US World Cup finals.
The error raised serious questions about the competence of senior Bafana backroom staff, who signed off on an ineligible player representing their country in a key international fixture.
This sort of mess-up normally occurs in amateur club soccer and not at the highest levels of the professional game.
Sports minister Gayton McKenzie says there will a thorough investigation into the incompetence at the SA Football Association (Safa) that led to the error.
He promised that a comprehensive report would be compiled and shared with the public to provide clarity on the matter and prevent future occurrences.
It remains to be seen whether heads roll for an avoidable blunder that has harmed SA’s reputation on the global stage.
SA were stripped of three points in their World Cup qualifying campaign for fielding an ineligible player, denting their hopes of reaching next year’s finals.
Fifa said its disciplinary committee had found SA guilty of playing midfielder Teboho Mokoena in a 2-0 home win over Lesotho in March when he should have sat out the qualifier after two cautions in previous Group C games.
Lesotho have been awarded a 3-0 victory, with SA stripped of the points and fined, while Mokoena was given a warning.
Benin now top the standings on goal difference, level with SA on 14 points with two games left.
Nigeria, who were the group favourites, are three points behind, along with Rwanda.
Only the group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, though the runners-up have a chance to win a berth, albeit through an arduous playoff process.
In the penultimate round of qualifiers on October 10, Benin visit Rwanda, Lesotho host Nigeria and SA take on Zimbabwe.
The final set of key games on October 14 sees SA hosting Rwanda, while Benin are at home to neighbouring Nigeria.
After precious points were docked, Bafana have no option but to go out and win their remaining matches to seal qualification.
Answers are needed on how this farcical situation was allowed to transpire in what should have been a high-performance environment.
The Herald