The South African Football Association (Safa) could face a monetary fine and Bafana Bafana can be stripped of the result should Kamohelo Mokotjo be fielded in the upcoming friendlies and the player is proved to be ineligible.
By recent Fifa decisions regarding countries who have fielded ineligible players in friendly internationals‚ the worst-case scenario for Bafana would appear they could be stripped of a victory or a draw‚ costing them world rankings points.
Mokotjo has honoured a call-up from caretaker-coach Owen da Gama for the friendlies against Guinea-Bissau at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday and Angola in East London on Wednesday.
However‚ he was granted Dutch citizenship this year‚ requiring him to renounce his South African citizenship.
Safa and the department of Home Affairs have been scrambling to ensure that the FC Twente player is eligible to play.
Fifa told Tiso Blackstar Digital they could not comment on the potential ramifications to SA should Bafana field Mokotjo and he be adjudged ineligible.
Naoise King of the global football body’s media department‚ responding by email‚ said: “Fifa does not speculate on potential scenarios and any future outcomes they could have.”
King did refer to recent disciplinary measures taken by Fifa against countries fielding ineligible players in friendlies‚ where‚ with the games outside of tournaments or official qualifiers‚ points could not be docked.
But in the case of international friendlies‚ Fifa could overturn a win or a draw and award a defeat‚ which could in turn affect world rankings.
Greece were found to have fielded an ineligible player in their 0-0 draw against Turkey in Istanbul in November 2015.
The friendly was awarded as 3-0 to Turkey‚ and the Hellenic Football Federation fined 4000 Swiss Francs (then R60 000) in August 2016.
The Albanian FA were fined 7 500 Swiss Francs (R112 500) and the match awarded 3-0 to Luxembourg for a similar offence in a 2-0 friendly away win to Albania in March last year.
Safa can be fined and Bafana could be stripped of the result if Mokotjo is declared ineligible after playing for SA
By recent Fifa decisions regarding countries who have fielded ineligible players in friendly internationals‚ the worst-case scenario for Bafana would appear they could be stripped of a victory or a draw‚ costing them world rankings points.
Mokotjo has honoured a call-up from caretaker-coach Owen da Gama for the friendlies against Guinea-Bissau at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday and Angola in East London on Wednesday.
However‚ he was granted Dutch citizenship this year‚ requiring him to renounce his South African citizenship.
Safa and the department of Home Affairs have been scrambling to ensure that the FC Twente player is eligible to play.
Fifa told Tiso Blackstar Digital they could not comment on the potential ramifications to SA should Bafana field Mokotjo and he be adjudged ineligible.
Naoise King of the global football body’s media department‚ responding by email‚ said: “Fifa does not speculate on potential scenarios and any future outcomes they could have.”
King did refer to recent disciplinary measures taken by Fifa against countries fielding ineligible players in friendlies‚ where‚ with the games outside of tournaments or official qualifiers‚ points could not be docked.
But in the case of international friendlies‚ Fifa could overturn a win or a draw and award a defeat‚ which could in turn affect world rankings.
Greece were found to have fielded an ineligible player in their 0-0 draw against Turkey in Istanbul in November 2015.
The friendly was awarded as 3-0 to Turkey‚ and the Hellenic Football Federation fined 4000 Swiss Francs (then R60 000) in August 2016.
The Albanian FA were fined 7 500 Swiss Francs (R112 500) and the match awarded 3-0 to Luxembourg for a similar offence in a 2-0 friendly away win to Albania in March last year.
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