Nigeria coach calls on FIFA to act on Teboho Mokoena saga

Nigeria ational team coach Eric Chelle has urged FIFA to take swift action regarding the Teboho Mokoena saga, just a day before their crucial 2026 World Cup qualifier against Bafana Bafana.

The Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder, who was carrying two yellow cards, should have been suspended for the match against Lesotho in March. Despite persistent calls from both Nigeria and Lesotho to have points deducted from South Africa, FIFA has remained silent on the matter.

Heading into Tuesday’s encounter, Bafana Bafana sits at the top of the table with 16 points, holding a five-point lead over second-placed Benin and a six-point advantage over Nigeria.

Speaking to journalists on Monday in the Free State province just before Nigeria’s training session, Chelle stressed that while the issue is a serious one, his immediate focus is on preparing his team for the match.

“I’m just a coach; I lead my team,” he said. “What happened around my team and around this game… talk about the yellow card. There is an organization called FIFA. FIFA needs to manage it.”

Chelle added that his priority is to keep his players focused on the game itself, not on the controversy surrounding it.

“Now, this is not my problem. My problem is that my players are focused. They want to make it a great game once again,” he said. “After that, just think about our game and not what happened around the game and around the story, but the reality, if I can tell you in one-on-one, something I think FIFA needs to manage it quickly.”

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