South African FA to appeal Points Deduction by FIFA

By Emmanuel Austin Baah On Sep 30, 2025

The South African Football Association (SAFA) have announced their intention to appeal FIFA’s decision to deduct three points from the country’s tally in the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

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Football’s world governing body, FIFA, announced that South Africa’s National Men’s Football Team had forfeited its qualification game against Lesotho (3-0) and been fined 9,000 Pounds Sterling for fielding an unqualified player (Teboho Mokoena) in their game played on March 21, 2025.

As a result, South Africa’s points tally have dropped from 17 to 14 indirectly lowering their chances of qualifying to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

In the wake of the announcement, SAFA released a statement indicating the body’s intent to appeal the decision within the allocated period.

“As SAFA, we are deeply disappointed with this unprecedented outcome noting that it was delivered by a single-member panel without reasons, and without affording the Association an opportunity to present legal arguments.”

FIFA logo (Photo by Philipp Schmidli/Getty Images)

“The Association confirms that we have requested written reasons for the judgment and intend to lodge a formal appeal with the FIFA Appeals Committee” a section of the release said.

Author

Emmanuel Austin Baah

My name is Emmanuel Austin Baah, professionally known as “Okocha”. I am a seasoned Ghanaian journalist, broadcaster and football commentator from Senya Bereku in the Central Region. My work reflects a strong commitment to factual reporting, ethical journalism and the continuous promotion of Ghanaian sports.

I am currently pursuing my studies at Cape Coast Technical University, building on a solid foundation of media practice and communication. I previously served as a sports producer at Radio Gold (90.5) and Montie FM (100.1) in Accra, where I was actively involved in editorial planning, programme production, live commentary and in-depth sports analysis.

Presently, I am a Senior Writer at SportsNetGhana.com, a role in which I produce well-researched features, match reports, athlete profiles and analytical pieces. My work consistently highlights emerging talents, captures key sporting developments and contributes to shaping informed sports discourse in Ghana.

Over the course of my career, I have covered numerous major sporting events both locally and internationally. Among these, the highlight remains my coverage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, a significant milestone that strengthened my expertise in global football reporting and enhanced my understanding of international sports dynamics.

I am widely recognised for my clarity of analysis, engaging commentary style and strong command of both local and global football trends. Beyond the newsroom, I participate in community initiatives aimed at developing young sports journalists and promoting youth engagement in sports.

For professional engagements, media collaborations or enquiries, please contact me on 0265284330.

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