Head coach of the Super Eagles of Nigeria, Eric Chelle, has shared his thoughts on the saga surrounding Bafana Bafana midfielder Teboho Mokoena.
Reports surfaced on Tuesday that Bafana Bafana could be docked three points from their win against Lesotho for fielding Mokoena. Mokoena was ineligible to play in that FIFA World Cup qualifier after accumulating two yellow cards.
The 28-year-old was booked during the 2-1 victory over Benin in Durban on November 18, 2023, and in the 3-1 win against Zimbabwe in Bloemfontein on June 11, 2024.
According to the FIFA rules, the Mamelodi Sundowns player should not have played against Lesotho in Polokwane. He, however, did not feature during Bafana’s 2-0 win against Benin in Ivory Coast on Tuesday evening.
NIGERIA COACH COUNTING ON FIFA DECISION FOR WORLD CUP QUALIFICATION?
It has since been reported that the Lesotho Football Association [LFA] and the Nigerian Football Federation [NFF] have lodged a formal enquiry about the issue with FIFA.
Chelle was asked about the issue after Nigeria’s 1-1 draw against Zimbabwe at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Tuesday.
“I don’t want to tell you about that,” Chelle told the media. “I said yesterday [Tuesday] we are focused on our game, so this is why I talked to my guys after the game.”
WHAT ERIC CHELLE TOLD HIS PLAYERS ABOUT THE SAGA SURROUNDING TEBOHO MOKOENA AND BAFANA BAFANA
“I told them [players] to look forward to second place. They did a great job during the ten days. So they deserve this qualification [World Cup]. I am trusting them, and maybe if South Africa loses three points, the last game is against Rwanda, so we can pass this team, and after that, we have a game against South Africa. We will see what happens in the coming days if it is true.”
Bafana Bafana remain top of Group C after six matches played so far, six points ahead of Nigeria. Their last four games will be against Lesotho, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Rwanda.
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