CAPE TOWN, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- South Africa has been deducted three points in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers after fielding an ineligible player, the country's Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton Mckenzie confirmed on Monday.
FIFA has also fined the South African Football Association (SAFA) 10,000 Swiss Francs (about 12,540 U.S. dollars). The ruling was made by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee and published on Monday.
"This development is deeply regrettable and has brought embarrassment to our nation and the game of football. We acknowledge that this situation has brought South Africa into disrepute, and we must take full responsibility for addressing it," said Mckenzie in a statement.
He however thanked FIFA for its swift action and not making the country wonder and wait in agony about its fate.
He added that the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) will launch an investigation into the "incompetence" that led to the FIFA sanction.
South Africa's national men's football team, dubbed Bafana Bafana, fielded midfielder Teboho Mokoena in their World Cup qualifier against Lesotho on March 21, despite the 28-year-old being on a one-match suspension for accumulating two yellow cards.
The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has declared the match to have been forfeited by South Africa by a score of 3-0, while Mokoena has been issued with a warning. SAFA may appeal the decision within 10 days.
As a result, Bafana Bafana dropped to second in Group C of the African qualifiers, behind Benin on goal difference.
But South Africa remains in pole position to qualify with matches against Zimbabwe and Rwanda to come.
In the statement, Mckenzie emphasized that the country's immediate focus would now be to support the national team as they prepare for final two matches in Durban and Mbombela.
"This deduction is but a bump in the road, and we believe that we remain firmly on track for qualification; our belief in the team's ability to succeed is unshaken," the minister added. ■
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