Nigeria legend Sunday Oliseh has warned that FIFA’s disciplinary hammer is hovering over South Africa after the Bafana Bafana fielded an ineligible player in a World Cup qualifier earlier this year, Soccernet.ng reports.
The controversy centres on midfielder Teboho Mokoena, who picked up two yellow cards in previous qualifiers but still lined up against Lesotho in March.
Lesotho lodged an official protest, demanding South Africa be docked three points and handed a 3-0 defeat, as per FIFA regulations.
Five months on, FIFA has yet to announce a verdict. But Oliseh, a member of FIFA’s Technical Group, insists the silence doesn’t mean South Africa are off the hook.
“To the best of my knowledge South Africa is in trouble,” Oliseh said.
“The Football Association is responsible for ensuring that only eligible players are fielded. If a team fields an ineligible player and a valid protest is upheld, standard penalties include the forfeiture of the match.
“The result is typically overturned to a 3-0 defeat for the offending team, regardless of the actual score, resulting in the loss of three points for South Africa in this case and an award of three points to Lesotho.”
South Africa currently top Group C with 16 points from seven games, five ahead of Benin and six ahead of Nigeria.
A FIFA sanction would change the complexion of the group entirely, especially with three matches still to play.
Oliseh explained why the process has dragged on:
“Now some might wonder, because this is creating the buzz now, why it has taken so long (for FIFA to arrive at a decision). It is simply because the process can take weeks to months as FIFA may request additional information from the associations involved. Simple.”
South Africa’s legal team have argued that Mokoena served his suspension by sitting out the following game against Benin. But Lesotho insist SAFA had no right to decide when the ban applied.
FIFA’s ruling will determine whether Bafana Bafana keep or lose those points.
For Nigeria, who sit third in the group, the case could be decisive. But Oliseh has urged the Super Eagles not to pin their hopes on bureaucracy.
“When it comes to Nigeria, I will vividly advise one thing because this is dangerous now,” he said. “Any point deduction sanction is useless to us as Nigerians if we do not best South Africa on Tuesday. So let’s focus first on winning and if possible, winning well, as goals differences will count eventually.”
Nigeria face South Africa in Bloemfontein on Tuesday in what is shaping up to be a must-win game.
A victory would cut the gap to three points, leaving the Super Eagles perfectly placed to benefit if FIFA strips South Africa of points.
“However, I must say that with the victory against Rwanda, there is now a real possibility to qualify,” Oliseh added.
“It is useless if South Africa is sanctioned and we don’t beat South Africa and we don’t get positive results in the last two games (against Lesotho and Benin).”
In 16 previous meetings between the two former African champions, Nigeria boast eight victories while South Africa have claimed two wins with six other games ending in draws.
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