W’Cup Qualifiers: NFF Activates Political Moves As Lesotho Withdraw Protest Against South Africa

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has reportedly initiated political moves to ensure that South Africa faces punishment for fielding an ineligible player in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers following the withdrawal of the protest initially submitted by Lesotho.

Lesotho had initially lodged a protest against South Africa for fielding midfielder Teboho Mokoena, who was suspended for the match against them, but the Southern African country has now withdrawn the complaint, claiming that it was not submitted within the period allowed by the law.

Lesotho FA Secretary General explained that: “When we read the regulations, we realised that the issue of time bar would be an obstacle to us, so we decided to cancel the protest.”

Despite this, FIFA’s rules state that sanctions can be applied even if no official complaint is filed, and the NFF is now lobbying FIFA to activate that, our correspondent learnt.

Article 8 of FIFA’s regulations allows the Disciplinary Committee to investigate and penalise teams on its own if there is a breach of the rules.

If FIFA rules against Bafana Bafana, the deduction of three points could boost Nigeria’s chances of qualifying from Group C. Currently, South Africa lead the group with 13 points, while Nigeria have a paltry seven points after six games.

However, if FIFA imposes a penalty, South Africa’s points will drop to 10, improving the Eagles’ chances of overturning their poor start in the qualifiers.

With this clause in mind, Nigerian football officials are pushing for FIFA to enforce the rules and deduct three points and three goals from South Africa. Such a decision would give the Super Eagles a much-needed advantage in their bid to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

A source within the NFF confirmed the Federation’s efforts, saying, “Yes, the NFF is working to get FIFA to investigate this issue.

In the past, Nigeria faced a similar sanction when FIFA independently reviewed our case and penalized us for fielding an ineligible player against Algeria in the final match of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

FIFA awarded Algeria three points and three goals, so we expect them to uphold the same standard in this situation.”