Gayton McKenzie to launch probe into Bafana World Cup blunder

Minister of sport Gayton McKenzie says his department will institute a thorough investigation into the incompetence at the SA Football Association (Safa) that led to Bafana Bafana being docked crucial points in their 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifying campaign.

SA’s hopes of qualifying for the global showpiece suffered a blow when Fifa announced on Monday that Bafana have been docked the three points they earned in a 2-0 victory against Lesotho in March.

In that match in Polokwane, Bafana fielded midfielder Teboho Mokoena, who should have been suspended due to accumulating two yellow cards in previous Group C qualifiers.

With a 3-0 win awarded to Lesotho, Bafana (who drop from 17 to 14 points and a +8 goal difference to +3) moved from the top of Group C to second place behind Benin (14 points, +4 difference).

In a statement, McKenzie said his department is going to get to the bottom of the matter.

“We are committed to uncovering the root causes of the failure and ensuring accountability. A comprehensive report will be compiled and shared with the public to provide clarity on the matter and prevent future occurrences,” he said.

McKenzie urged South Africans to support Bafana in their remaining two qualifying matches against Zimbabwe and Rwanda in Durban and Mbombela in October, where they have to win to stand a chance of qualifying.

“Let us get behind our boys in the critical games. Together we can and must carry them on our shoulders to the US, Canada and Mexico in 2026.”

Safa said it intends to appeal the decision but said nothing about the consequences for what led to the fiasco.

“As Safa we are deeply disappointed with the unprecedented outcome, noting it was delivered by a single-member panel without reasons and without affording the association an opportunity to present legal arguments,” it said.

“The association confirms we have requested written reasons for the judgment and intend to lodge a formal appeal with the Fifa appeals committee within the prescribed 10-day period under Fifa’s disciplinary rules.

“Despite the outcome, the association emphasises its continued commitment to supporting Bafana Bafana in their qualification campaign. The players and the technical team have worked extremely hard to reach this stage, and we remain focused on ensuring they secure maximum points in the matches ahead.

“We apologise to the nation for this administrative oversight and will reflect on the steps to take at the conclusion of our qualifying campaign.

“Finally, we call on all South Africans to rally behind the team during this final and crucial stage of the qualifiers.”