The Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) are yet to release a statement regarding South Africa's ineligible player.

FIFA World Cup qualifying rules state that a player is ineligible to play in a subsequent match after accumulating two yellow cards.

South Africa's 2026 World Cup hopes have been thrown into turmoil after midfielder Teboho Mokoena was fielded in their 2-0 win against Lesotho despite reportedly being suspended.

Gernot Rohr has become the first coach to comment on the ongoing controversy surrounding South Africa’s alleged use of an ineligible player during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

According to OwnGoal, the Benin Republic coach called on FIFA to apply the same standard used in Nigeria’s 2018 case, where the Super Eagles were sanctioned after fielding Shehu Abdullahi, who had accumulated two yellow cards, in a match against Algeria.

Nigeria had already having secured qualification, but FIFA penalised them for the infraction.

The 71-year-old coach emphasised that South Africa’s case should be judged strictly according to the rules, as the African football community awaits FIFA’s decision ahead of the next round of qualifiers. He said:

“When I was the coach of the Super Eagles, we were lucky to have qualified for the World Cup with a game to spare.

"No one, not even the Algerian Desert Foxes, saw the point deduction coming. I expect FIFA to take the same decision like it was in the Nigeria case against South Africa for a similar offence."

Months after South Africa’s administrative blunders on fielding an ineligible player, the World Football Governing body are yet to issue a statement.

According to NewsTap, FIFA failed to respond to an official request for the three points and three goals from Bafana Bafana.

The South African fielded Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder in their match against Lesotho on March, per TntSports.

German coach Hugo Broos is on the verge of qualifying South Africa for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, sitting comfortably at the top of the table with 13 points.

Legit.ng earlier reported that Eric Chelle declined to confirm whether he was aware that South Africa could face FIFA sanctions before Nigeria’s encounter with Zimbabwe

The 47-year-old mentioned that if South Africa is deducted three points for fielding an ineligible player, Nigeria could finish second in the group by winning their remaining matches.

The former Mali coach added that his players have been fantastic during the qualifiers and deserve a spot at the 2026 World Cup.

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Source: Legit.ng