Gernot Rohr, the head coach of Benin Republic’s national team, the Cheetahs, has expressed that FIFA’s recent ruling to strip South Africa of three points is overdue.
On Monday, FIFA officially awarded Lesotho a 3-0 win for their Group C qualifier clash on March 21. Originally, South Africa’s Bafana Bafana had secured a 2-0 victory, but they fielded Teboho Mokoena, who was ineligible due to suspension after receiving two yellow cards during the rwanda-injury-controversy/” title=”Asamoah Gyan Sparks Controversy: Did He Accuse Victor Osimhen of Faking … Injury? Ghana Legend Finally Breaks Silence!”>group stage matches.
This adjustment places Rohr’s squad at the summit of Group C with 14 points, while South Africa also holds 14 points but now ranks second. Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Rwanda trail behind in third and fourth positions, each with 11 points.
Speaking on Brila FM about the verdict, Rohr remarked, “It makes sense to penalize South Africa by deducting points, but the timing is problematic-it’s happening six months later than it should have. We face tough away fixtures in Rwanda and Nigeria’s Uyo. Meanwhile, South Africa benefits from playing their final two matches on home soil, giving them seven home games out of ten in this qualifying campaign, especially since Lesotho and Zimbabwe are hosting their matches in South Africa. Despite this, we remain focused and determined to qualify, approaching the challenge with humility.”
Following the announcement, the South African Football Association (SAFA) declared their plan to contest FIFA’s decision to dock their points.
