Perhaps alarmed by the potential loss of three points due to fielding an ineligible player in their previous match, the front-runners from Group C in the 2026 FIFA World Cup African qualifying rounds, South Africa, continued their robust campaign towards securing one of the automatic berths with a convincing 2-0 victory against Benin in Abidjan on Tuesday, as reported by PUNCH Sports Extra.
Goals scored by Lyle Foster and Jayden Adams in the second half secured victory for Hugo Broos' team, who faced potential point deductions due to fielding an ineligible player in their previous 2-0 win against Lesotho, putting them at risk entering this match.
The player under discussion is midfielder Teboho Mokoena, who had received two yellow cards earlier in the series prior to the final match against Lesotho.
Mokoena received his first booking in the qualification round when they won at home against the Benin Republic with a score of 2-1 back in November 2023. The caution came in the 54th minute of the match.
During their 3-1 victory against Zimbabwe in June 2024, the Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder received a yellow card as well in the 52nd minute.
During their most recent match against Lesotho, he was included in the starting lineup and played for 82 minutes until being substituted with Thalente Mbatha.
As per the FIFA World Cup qualification regulations, a player becomes ineligible for the next game upon receiving two yellow cards.
"If players or team personnel accumulate two yellow cards within a single match (including those decided by penalty shootouts) or across two separate matches during the tournament, they must serve an automatic suspension for their team’s next game," as per FIFA's rules.
Nonetheless, protests from Nigeria or Lesotho, teams sitting four points below the South Africans in their group, might also be dismissed by FIFA if they were not filed within the specified timeframe.
"Any protests concerning the selection of players for games in the initial competitions must be presented in writing to the FIFA Match Commissioner within two hours after the game ends. Additionally, these protests should include a comprehensive written submission, along with a copy of the original complaint, sent via email to qualifiers@fifa.org and delivered to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee according to the relevant articles outlined in the FIFA Disciplinary Code within 24 hours following the conclusion of the match. If not handled as specified, such complaints will not be considered," FIFA further clarified.
Should the protest prove successful, Lesotho, presently ranked fifth in the group with five points, would receive an additional three points, bringing their total to eight points in the overall standings. This development could potentially allow Nigeria to surpass South Africa, contingent upon the outcomes of Tuesday’s fixtures.
Following their fourth victory in the series, South Africa has opened up a five-point lead over both second-place Rwanda and third-place Benin, who each have 13 points after six games.
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