Nigeria and Benin have asked FIFA to deduct points from South Africa in the 2026 World Cup African qualifiers. They say FIFA’s silence on the matter is putting the tournament’s fairness at risk.
The issue began after South Africa beat Lesotho 2-0. Midfielder Teboho Mokoena played in the match even though he was supposed to be suspended.
FIFA has not yet made a ruling, causing worry among other teams as the group stage reaches important matches.
Benin’s coach, Gernot Rohr, expressed his frustration, saying, “It is very unusual that we don’t know the points situation before our games this week.
Normally, South Africa should lose three points, which should go to Lesotho. We don’t know why FIFA hasn’t decided yet.”
The Nigeria Football Federation also called on FIFA to make a quick decision. “The world is waiting for FIFA’s ruling,” the federation said in a statement.
South Africa’s coach, Hugo Broos, admitted the mistake but argued that the match result should remain because Lesotho did not file a complaint. “We made a wrong decision, but there was no official protest,” Broos explained.
Currently, South Africa leads Group C with 13 points. Rwanda and Benin are tied at eight points each, Nigeria has seven, Lesotho has six, and Zimbabwe is last with four points.
