Hugo Broos has come out in the defence of the SA Football Association (SAFA) for the administrative blunder that saw Bafana Bafana being docked three points by FIFA earlier this week.
“No one should be blamed for what happened, it was a mistake and if anything, everyone should take accountability because I am the coach,” Broos said during his 23-man squad announcement ahead of their two final matches against Zimbabwe and Rwanda next week.
Bafana will face Zimbabwe at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on October 10, followed by Rwanda at the Mbombela Stadium four days later on the 14th.
“So, I am responsible, Teboho Mokoena is responsible, and SAFA is responsible for Bafana Bafana being docked three points by FIFA. So, we are all to blame. We must now move on and focus on the two upcoming games.”
On Monday, FIFA released a statement confirming that they will sanction SAFA after Bafana fielded star midfielder Teboho Mokoena against Lesotho on March 21 this year in their 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers.
Mokoena was ineligible to feature in the match, after accumulating two yellow cards, which meant that he was supposed to serve a one-game suspension.
“The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has sanctioned SAFA for having fielded an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena, in the South Africa v Lesotho match played on 21 March 2025 in the Fifa World Cup 2026 preliminary competition,” FIFA said in a statement.
“Consequently, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has declared the match in question to have been forfeited by the representative team of South Africa by a score of 3-0,” the statement concluded.
In addition, SAFA has been ordered to pay a fine of around R200 000, while Mokoena has been issued with a warning. Safa has since appealed the decision by Fifa and apologised for what they describe as an “unprecedented” ruling.
“As SAFA, we are deeply disappointed with this unprecedented outcome, noting that it was delivered by a single-member panel without reasons and without affording the Association an opportunity to present legal arguments,” SAFA said in a statement.
“The Association confirms that we have requested written reasons for the judgment and intend to lodge a formal appeal with the FIFA Appeals Committee within the prescribed 10-day period under FIFA’s disciplinary rules.
“We apologise to the nation for this administrative oversight and will reflect on the steps to take at the conclusion of our qualifying campaign.”
