In a frustrated tone, Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos responded to Lesotho’s protest threat regarding midfielder Teboho Mokoena’s potential participation in Friday’s match.
The two neighbouring countries are set to lock horns later this evening in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein.
Likuena, who lost 2-0 to South Africa in the first round, maintain that Mokoena was ineligible to play when the two teams met in March at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium.
They discovered that Mokoena was suspended and should have missed the game. However, they did not lodge a formal protest within the required timeframe after the match.
As a result, Bafana opted to leave him out of the following match against Benin.
The secretary general of the Lesotho Football Association, Mokhosi Mohapi, spoke with journalists in Bloemfontein on Thursday and voiced his concern over what he perceived as a disregard for FIFA’s regulations.
He pointed out that Mokoena had not served his suspension, which was due for the Lesotho match, and warned that allowing nations to “pick and choose” when to serve a suspension would lead to “disarray” in football.
Meanwhile, when asked during the press conference on Thursday, Broos firmly refused to engage in the controversy.
“Look, before you go on, I will tell you that I’m not used to comment or react on nonsense. I’ll not do it today,” said Broos.
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