Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has dismissed Lesotho’s threat that they will play their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier under protest, labeling it as nonsense.
Lesotho Football Association secretary-general Mokhosi Mohapi reiterated on Thursday they will lodge a protest if key Bafana midfielder Teboho Mokoena is in the match-day squad.
“I am not used to commenting or reacting to nonsense and I will not do it here today, thank you,” said Broos (via Times Live) before his players trained at the match venue to put the final touches to their preparations.
Mohapi said the Lesotho FA believes Mokoena, who was fielded in their last game against Bafana — a 2-0 win to South Africa in Polokwane in March — when he should have been serving a suspension, should not play against them on Friday.
This is despite Mokoena having served that one-match suspension belatedly when he sat out the match after Bafana’s win against Lesotho, their 2-0 away victory against Benin played in Ivory Coast days later. The matter is also still under Fifa’s review so Bafana remain in danger of a three-point deduction.
“Fifa has a set of rules and we all have to abide by those rules. Even if it means we must remind someone to do so, we will do so,” Mohapi said.
“He never sat out any match, he was supposed to sit out our match and he never did. Even the Benin match was just a caution and not really serving the suspension because if they pick and choose where they want to serve [the suspension] then this football thing will be in disarray.
“Even South Africans want to feel proud they won the qualifier stages fairly and they did not come in through the back door. I want South Africa to beat us fairly, not to get the protection of Fifa to move from the regulations that are binding us. Let him sit it out now.”