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5 days ago
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- South Africa hazard losing 3 points aft fielding Theboho Mokoena successful a World Cup qualifier contempt suspension
- FIFA has antecedently deducted points from teams for fielding ineligible players without ceremonial protests
- Affected nations similar Nigeria could situation FIFA astatine CAS if the aforesaid regularisation is not applied to Bafana Bafana
The contention surrounding South Africa’s 2-0 triumph implicit Lesotho successful the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers continues to intensify.
After it emerged that Bafana Bafana fielded Theboho Mokoena contempt the midfielder being suspended, each aggrieved countries, including Nigeria, are expecting the shot governing assemblage to instrumentality swift action.
Source: Getty Images
According to authoritative records, Mokoena had accumulated 2 yellowish cards successful anterior games, which should person triggered an automatic suspension, BBC reports.
Although Lesotho failed to record an authoritative protestation wrong the stipulated 48-hour period, they stay hopeful that FIFA volition instrumentality indispensable action.
The ground of their assurance lies successful humanities precedent and the clarity of FIFA's regulations connected ineligible players.
Protest letters are not mandatory
This is not the archetypal clip specified an contented has travel up successful FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
In fact, Nigeria experienced a akin destiny successful 2016 erstwhile Shehu Abdullahi was deemed ineligible for a crippled against Algeria during the 2018 World Cup Qualifiers.
Nigeria was aboriginal punished by FIFA for the act, losing 3 points and 3 goals, adjacent though Algeria did not record a ceremonial complaint.
Likewise, Togo were stripped of points successful 2013 for fielding Jacques Alexy Romao against Cameroon arsenic FIFA acted connected its ain without waiting for immoderate protest.
Ethiopia, Cape Verde, and Equatorial Guinea besides suffered akin punishments for fielding ineligible players successful assorted editions of the qualifiers, each without immoderate protests from the opposing teams.
FIFA risks backlash if rules are not enforced
The rule of just play underpins FIFA’s regulations.
According to FIFA's disciplinary rules (Article 63.1), 2 yellowish cards successful abstracted matches effect successful an automatic one-match suspension, GOAL reports.
Source: Twitter
In cases wherever an ineligible subordinate is fielded (Article 19.1), FIFA’s judicial bodies tin enforce disciplinary action, considering the competition’s integrity.
If South Africa are allowed to flight punishment for fielding Mokoena, contempt akin cases being penalised successful the past, the integrity of the contention comes into question.
Moreover, affected countries similar Nigeria could instrumentality their grievances to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) connected grounds of inconsistency and selective justice.
Failure to authorisation South Africa would unfastened the doorway to accusations of treble standards, arsenic FIFA’s erstwhile decisions person consistently demonstrated that a protestation missive is not required for enactment to beryllium taken. The rules stay the same, and indispensable beryllium enforced uniformly.
Why Nigeria needs constituent deduction for South Africa
The Super Eagles’ hopes of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup volition beryllium boosted if South Africa gets punished for fielding an ineligible player.
Nigeria presently trails Bafana Bafana by six points successful Group C arsenic Eric Chelle’s squad person garnered lone 7 points aft six rounds of matches successful the World Cup qualifiers, arsenic seen connected FIFA.com.
FIFA deducting 3 points from South Africa’s full volition springiness the Super Eagles a warring accidental of toppling Hugo Broos’s squad and securing the World Cup ticket.
Chelle reportedly drops 6 players
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Eric Chelle has reportedly dropped six players from the 23-man squad that featured successful the 2026 World Cup qualifiers past March.
Nigeria bushed Rwanda 2-0 astatine the Amahoro Stadium successful Kigali, followed by a disappointing gully against Zimbabwe astatine the Godswill Akpabio Stadium successful Uyo.
Galatasaray guardant Victor Osimhen featured successful some matches, scoring 3 goals aft missing the archetypal 4 qualifiers owed to injury.
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Source: Legit.ng
