With Teboho Mokoena's Bafana Bafana ineligibility case still pending, the likely outcome has been bandied about. A legal eagle has now clarified the matter.
Bafana made a glaring administrative error after fielding Mokoena against Lesotho in a 2026 World Cup qualifier, a match he was supposed to be suspended for, after receiving two yellow cards in the same qualifiers within the past year and five months.
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However, it appears, as also confirmed by Lesedi Mphahlele, Attorney and Director at Fairbridges Wertheim Becker Attorneys, that Lesotho did not lodge their complaint within the specified 24-hour period.
"Had Lesotho's protest been lodged timeously, Bafana Bafana would have inevitably faced unfavourable consequences as set out in the FIFA regulations," Mphahlele wrote to KickOff.com exclusively.
"Rule 19(1) of the FIFA Disciplinary Code provides that if a player fielded in a match and/or competition is declared ineligible, the FIFA judicial body, taking into consideration the integrity of the competition concerned, may impose any appropriate disciplinary measures.
"Rule 19(2) provides that if a player fielded in a match is declared ineligible following a protest, the team to which the player belongs will be sanctioned by forfeiting the match and paying a minimum fine set by the FIFA judicial body.
"This legislative provision further provides that the concerned player may also be sanctioned.
"This effectively means that Bafana Bafana's points in respect of its game against Lesotho would have been deducted in favour of Lesotho and to the extent that the FIFA judicial body deems it necessary, a monetary fine would have been imposed as well, including a sanction on the part of Mokoena."
Mphahlele further revealed Bafana could be off the hook on technical grounds.
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"In light of the above, it is clear that the horse has not bolted yet. The situation may be salvaged by legal technicalities," confirmed the legal eye.
"Sometimes the law is technical in nature, which may be to the advantage and/or disadvantage of either of the parties embroiled in a dispute, but the law is the law and must be applied accordingly," he stressed.