Broos suspects external influence in ‘shock’ Mokoena FIFA verdict

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has voiced his deep suspicions over the recent FIFA ruling that stripped the national team of World Cup qualification points, stating he believes external influence and “lobbying” played a decisive, and perhaps unfair, role in the final verdict.

On Monday FIFA announced that Bafana Bafana would be docked three World Cup qualification points for fielding an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena, in their 2-0 victory against Lesotho in March. Mokoena should have been suspended for accumulating two yellow cards in previous qualifiers.

As a result, SAFA was fined 10,000 Swiss francs (R216,500), and Mamelodi Sundowns star Mokoena received a warning. While SAFA has stated its intention to appeal, the association is technically guilty of the administrative oversight.

Severe Blow to Hugo Broos and Bafana Bafana’s World Cup Hopes

The consequence of this administrative error is severe. Bafana Bafana suffer a 3-0 technical defeat and plummet from first to second spot in Group C.

Bafana Bafana’s points are reduced from 17 to 14, now level with Benin. Their goal difference is slashed from $+8$ to just $+3$. Benin now tops the group with a superior goal difference of $+4$.

Broos’s side must now earn maximum points from their two remaining home qualifiers this month against Zimbabwe and Rwanda, while simultaneously hoping Benin drops points in their tough away games against Rwanda and Nigeria.

Speaking after naming his 23-man squad, Broos strongly insinuated that external forces pushed the matter through. Without naming names, suspicion points towards Nigeria, who are widely believed to have brought the technicality to FIFA’s attention.

Broos detailed the suspicious timeline that suggests intervention: “For the first two hours upon learning of the news, I was down because I didn’t expect it—certainly not the way it went,” Broos explained. “The committee of sanctions met three times… and three times South Africa was not mentioned.”

“One day after the last meeting, we suddenly got a letter from FIFA that the case had been reopened. Very strange. What happened in the previous sanction meetings of FIFA? So that means that there has been a lot of lobbying behind the scenes, that’s for sure.”

While the coach accepts that his side committed an error, his chief concern is the “suspicious intervention” that seemingly resurrected the case and ultimately led to the ruling.

𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐬 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 “𝐋𝐨𝐛𝐛𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠” 𝐢𝐧 𝐅𝐈𝐅𝐀 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has voiced strong suspicions of external influence and “lobbying behind the scenes” following FIFA’s decision to dock South Africa three crucial World Cup qualifying… pic.twitter.com/2Efrynpxje

— FARPost_ZA (@FARPostZA) October 2, 2025