In the wake of Bafana Bafana star Teboho Mokoena's yellow card incident, which raised concerns amongst South Africans, the Nigeria Football Federation has finally broken the silence.
South Africa might face a points deduction for reportedly fielding the Mamelodi Sundowns star, who seemingly was ineligible to play during the 2-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Lesotho.
The 28-year-old midfielder apparently should not have played against Lesotho after receiving two yellow cards, one against Benin in November 2023 and another against Zimbabwe in July of last year.
READ | Why Namibia coach 'can't tell' Hotto what to do
Upon realizing that Mokoena should not have taken part in that match, the Lesotho Football Association (LFA) confirmed it had submitted a query to the Fédération Internationale Football Association (FIFA). Reports in local media have suggested that Lesotho may not pursue the case.
Considering that the potential loss of points for Bafana could be advantageous to them, Nigeria has now interfered in the situation. According to Pan Africa Football, NFF official RT Hon. Nse Essien stated that the NFF desires FIFA to deduct from Bafana.
"Lesotho has already filed a complaint to FIFA regarding Mokoena's eligibility," Essien told Pan Africa Football.
"It's an infringement of FIFA's laws, so we expect the law to take its course."
READ | Hat-trick hero Nasir: For me to score after 2 years...
Hugo Broos' side is currently leading the Group C standings with 13 points, six points ahead of Nigeria, who occupy the fourth position in the table. The two teams are set to face each other in September in the World Cup qualifiers.
The outcome of this case may influence the group standings, however, even if FIFA takes points from Bafana, South Africa will remain at the top, as they are five points ahead of both Benin and Rwanda.