Benni McCarthy Slams SAFA Over World Cup Qualifier Blunder

South African football legend Benni McCarthy has called for strong accountability after South Africa were stripped of three points in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign for fielding an ineligible player.

Five days ago, FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee ruled that Bafana Bafana breached regulations when midfielder Teboho Mokoena played in a March qualifier against Lesotho despite being suspended for two yellow cards. The 2-0 victory was overturned and awarded as a 3-0 win to Lesotho, while the South African Football Association (SAFA) was fined 10,000 Swiss Francs.

The sanction has dramatically dented South Africa’s chances of qualifying for next year’s finals. With two games remaining, Benin lead Group C on goal difference, level on 14 points with South Africa. 

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Nigeria and Rwanda sit just three points behind. Only the group winners qualify directly, with second place forced into a grueling playoff route.

“Football is a funny game. You never know what can happen in those two final matches. But if failure comes from administration — not performance — then accountability is non-negotiable,” said McCarthy, now head coach of Kenya’s Harambee Stars, speaking on SuperSport’s Soccer Africa.

The disciplinary setback has embarrassed South African football, with coach Hugo Broos openly conceding: “We did something bad, we did something we shouldn’t do.”

Still, SAFA has hinted at an appeal, a stance that baffled several pundits.

Panelist Thomas Kwenaite remarked: “Why talk about appealing? Everyone knew we messed up, FIFA punished us, and now we want to appeal? Appeal what? The rules are very clear. There’s nothing to appeal.”

Kenya FA vice-president McDonald Mariga, also appearing on the panel, echoed the criticism: “The mistake was huge — this is the World Cup, not a small tournament. But the players must regroup, stay motivated, and fight for qualification.”

For the dressing room, Mariga admitted the blow was tough: “It’s demoralizing. You fought hard for those points, and now they’re gone because of an administrative error. But the players can’t dwell on it. They need to forget the mess, focus forward, and win the next two matches.”

Responsibility for the error, according to Mariga, lies squarely with SAFA’s administration. “It’s not on the player. Players don’t track yellow cards like administrators do. FIFA and CAF always notify federations. The responsibility lies with the team manager and the general secretary. Missing that is pure incompetence.”

McCarthy was even more blunt: “People responsible for this mistake must pay a hefty price. South Africa haven’t qualified for the World Cup since 2002. If they miss out again because of incompetence, then heads must roll. Simple.”

The sanction has also reignited debate about FIFA’s handling of disciplinary issues. Critics argue that the governing body took too long to make its ruling, with Benin coach Gernot Rohr saying: “It is not normal that we don’t know the situation about the points on the log table before our games.”

South Africa face Zimbabwe at home before hosting Rwanda in a decisive final clash in the October fixtures. Meanwhile, Benin travel to Rwanda before a potentially group-deciding trip to Nigeria.