Fifa’s reticence to dock World Cup points from SA for using a defaulter in a March fixture is casting a cloud and creating confusion ahead of this week’s potentially decisive round of African qualifiers.
Bafana Bafana, who admit their mistake, erroneously fielded midfielder Teboho Mokoena in a 2-0 home win over neighbours Lesotho when he should have sat out the World Cup qualifier after two cautions in previous fixtures in Group C.
SA were severely embarrassed when they belatedly discovered the mistake but insist because their opponents did not protest, they will not lose the three points.
“We did something bad, we did something we shouldn’t do, but there was no complaint,” Bafana coach Hugo Broos said.
But Fifa’s disciplinary code makes provisions for proceedings to be instigated by the administration of world football’s governing body, not only via protest, and they have previously sanctioned countries that have committed the same offence.
Gernot Rohr, coach of Benin, who are second behind Bafana in the standings, questioned Fifa’s silence on the matter.
“It is not normal that we don’t know the situation about the points on the log table before our games this week,” he said.
We did something bad, we did something we shouldn’t do, but there was no complaint
— Bafana coach Hugo Broos
“It is very, very strange. Normally, SA should lose three points and they [the points] should go to Lesotho. But nobody knows why they [Fifa] did not take this decision.”
Rohr would know better than most the ramifications of fielding an ineligible player. In the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, when he was Nigeria’s coach, they forfeited the point from a 1-1 draw in Algeria for fielding Shehu Abdullahi, who was suspended.
“We didn’t know he was suspended and we lost the points in the disciplinary committee,” the coach said.
With their win still intact, Bafana lead the standings with 13 points, five ahead of Rwanda and Benin and six ahead of Nigeria, who they host in a crunch game in Bloemfontein next Tuesday. Lesotho have six points and Zimbabwe sit last on four.
Broos’s team meet Lesotho, also in Bloemfontein, on Friday night.
The teams tussling for qualification want clarity.
“The world still awaits Fifa’s decision,” said the Nigerian Football Federation on their website this week. Rohr added: “Fifa should now very quickly give the decision.” - Reuters
