Former Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Brian Baloyi has called on the SA Football Association (Safa) to punish the official responsible for the saga surrounding Teboho Mokoena.
This follows a Safa official, presumably Vincent Tseka, the team manager, failing to notice that the Mamelodi Sundowns star was not allowed to play in Bafana’s World Cup qualifying match against Lesotho last week.
South Africa won the match 2-0 at a sold-out Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane last Friday.
The Lesotho Football Association announced prior to Bafana’s match against Benin on Tuesday that it had submitted a complaint to Fifa, the world football governing body, regarding Mokoena’s accumulation of yellow cards during the current World Cup qualifiers.
Mokoena picked up two yellow cards in their opening match against Benin and another in the following match against Zimbabwe.
In accordance with FIFA regulations, a player who receives two yellow cards in consecutive games is suspended for one match.
Accordingly, Mokoena should not have played in the match against Lesotho.
After Bafana’s thrilling 2-0 victory over Benin on Tuesday night, Baloyi told the media at the Honor Watch Party that someone needed to take responsibility for the error.
Schoolboy errors
“If our management can make such schoolboy errors and no one takes accountability, then it will tell us as a nation that at Safa House we are running a Mickey Mouse organisation,” Baloyi said.
“If you are running a world-class organisation, then people must be accountable, and heads must roll for such issues.
“This is a serious issue; we are qualifying for the World Cup, the highest honour for players and the nation.
He continued: “If we are making such errors that will cost us points, then what are we saying to the young players that we are expecting them to be world-class?
“What are we saying to them when we make such errors administratively and no one is held accountable?”
The worst-case scenario would see Bafana being docked the three points that they won over Lesotho.
Coach Hugo Broos’ men are currently sitting on top of Group C with 13 points, five points adrift of Rwanda and Benin, who are tied on eight points.
