Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie has given the Danny Jordaan-led South African Football Association (SAFA) seven days to provide a detailed report on the Teboho Mokoena yellow card saga.
Prior to securing a place in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, when they beat Rwanda at the Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday, Bafana were under pressure after they were docked three points by FIFA for fielding an ineligible Teboho Mokoena against Lesotho in March this year.
Letter of demand
“I am writing to you in my capacity as the Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture to formally request a detailed report from the South African Football Association regarding the circumstances that led to Bafana Bafana being stripped of their victory against Lesotho in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers,” McKenzie said in a statement.
“As you are aware, FIFA’s decision to deduct three points from South Africa stemmed from the fielding of an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena.
“This incident not only jeopardised our national team’s qualification prospects. It has also raised significant concerns about administrative oversights within SAFA.”
Upon Bafana’s arrival at the OR Tambo International Airport on Wednesday morning from Mbombela, SAFA president Jordaan said the issue surrounding team manager Vincent Tseka’s mishap is a thing of the past. The focus should be on the AFCON and World Cup.
“I acknowledge the recent statements to me from the SAFA president [Jordaan] indicating that the matter has been dealt with and the association has chosen to move forward without dwelling on the issue,” McKenzie continued.
Transparency and accountability
“However, it is imperative that we prioritise transparency and accountability. Particularly in light of the public’s valued interest in our national team’s performance.
“The fans deserve full reassurance that the appropriate measures have been taken. Including through accountability processes, consequences management for those responsible, and implementation of robust remedial actions to prevent such a grave error from recurring in the future,” he added.
McKenzie continued: “I kindly request that the report include a complete timeline of events explanation of how the error occurred, details of any internal investigations conducted, and actions taken against responsible parties.
“Please submit this report to my office within seven days of receiving this letter,” he concluded.
McKenzie also sent a formal apology to FIFA president Gianni Infantino over the yellow card saga. He stated that the administrative blunder by SAFA brought SA football into disrepute.