Photo Credit - Bafana Bafana - South Africa.
Bafana Bafana legend Andre Arendse believes action should be taken against officials who were behind the decision to play midfielder Teboho Mokoena against Lesotho while he was suspended for accumulative yellow cards.
The Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder featured for 82 minutes in the matchday five fixture of the 3036 FIFA World Cup qualifiers at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, while Bafana Bafana went on to win 2-0 to take up first place in a tight Group C that also includes Benin, Rwanda, Nigeria and Zimbabwe.
However, it later emerged that Mokoena had accumulated yellow cards in previous World Cup qualifiers including South Africa’s 2-1 victory over Benin in November 2023 and in June 2024 against Zimbabwe which should have constituted a one-match ban.
Bafana coach Hugo Broos went ahead to withdraw Mokoena from the squad that faced Benin in their matchday six fixture away on Tuesday.
Lesotho have confirmed they have already lodged a complaint with world governing body FIFA, about Mokoena’s issue even though it was outside the window for doing so. The decision could see Bafana docked points and delay their quest to qualify for the World Cup to be co-hosted in Mexico, Canada and the USA.
“There has to be accountability. When mistakes are made, there has to be accountability, and if we can assume that, as custodians of the game, when we're working at a high level like with the national team, then there has to be accountability for actions,” said Arendse as quoted by SABC Sports.
“When you're on a critical journey like this, every single person whose part of a setup, part of the process, must have accountability for their actions – that's a non-negotiable. Because the journey gets so hectic and so challenging when just one person or something slips up, it can negatively affect the team.”
Bafana Bafana might escape the punishment because LFA did not raise the issue within the stipulated window. However due to the growing attention around the controversy, there is now a strong possibility of legal challenges and appeals from not only the Lesotho FA but the football governing bodies of fellow Group C teams Nigeria, Rwanda, Benin and Zimbabwe due to the high stakes involved in World Cup qualifying.
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