FIFA Threatens to Ban African Country Amid South Africa's Player Eligibility Controversy

• FIFA has threatened to ban an African nation from international football after violating one of the World governing body's rules
• The body have sent an official letter to the country as a warning and failure to comply could jeorpadise their chances in qualifying for the World Cup
• This issue ensued at a time the Bafana Bafana of South Africa are also in the body's hot waters over player eligibility controversy

FIFA are reportedly ready to ban an African nation from international football after issuing them warning recently amid South Africa's ongoing player eligibility issue.

The sanctions from the World Football governing body could make the African nation miss out on the 2026 World Cup which is scheduled to be hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America.

A few other countries have joined the three host nations in the competition with last edition winners, Argentina, being the recent country to qualify for the prestigious football tournament.

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New Zealand are also through to the competition alongside two Asian countries Iran and Japan.

With some countries celebrating their qualification while others are still fighting for a ticket to the tournament, some nations are barred from the top football competition due to FIFA ban.

Congo and Pakistan were disqualified from the tournament after violating FIFA rule over third-party interference, while Russia was excluded from the last edition for they invaded Ukraine in 2022.

FIFA threatens to ban Zambia amid SA's ongoing player eligibility controversy

South Africa are currently in FIFA hot waters after violating one of the World Football governing body rules that guide the World Cup qualifiers.

Bafana Bafana fielded Teboho Mokoena in their World Cup qualifier against Lesotho despite being ineligible to play the match due to yellow card accumulation.

Several reports have emerge about the punishment or sanctions that Bafana Bafana could get from FIFA, but there's yet to be an official statement from the body concerning the controversy.

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According to a report by Zambia Observer, FIFA has sent an official warning to the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) over the possibility of being suspended or banned from international football.

The issue ensued after a government organisation, the National Sports Council of Zambia (NSCZ), sent a letter to FIFA about establishing an independent electoral body and conducting a thorough review of FAZ’s electoral process.

The letter goes against FIFA rules about football in countries as they prohibit government involvement and third-party interference.

FIFA's statement in the letter sent to FAZ over the ongoing issue:

"We would like to remind you that every member association of FIFA is statutorily obliged to manage its affairs independently and without undue influence from third parties, including government bodies," the statement in the letter reads.

"Any breach of this obligation may lead to sanctions provided for in the FIFA statutes. Should the transitional committee be established, FAZ would be at risk of breaching these statutory provisions.

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"If this happens, FIFA will have no option but to submit the matter to its relevant decision-making body, which could result in the suspension of FAZ."

Zimbabwe, Kenya once faced FIFA ban

World football governing body FIFA suspended Kenya in 2021 after the government disbanded the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) over corruption allegations.

The Kenya national teams were banned from international football, including club competitions, until FIFA reinstated them in 2023 after governance reforms were introduced.

FIFA also banned Zimbabwe in 2022 after its government dissolved the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) over mismanagement and financial irregularities. The suspension was lifted in 2023 after FIFA’s conditions were met.

Mokoena's yellow card controversy

Meanwhile, Bafana Bafana will be hoping to escape punishment from FIFA after Teboho Mokoena, received yellow cards in World Cup qualifiers against Benin (November 2023) and Zimbabwe (November 2024), rendering him ineligible for the March 21, 2025, match against Lesotho.

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But despite this, he played, leading Lesotho to lodge a formal complaint with FIFA. It is believed that FIFA is reviewing the case; potential sanctions could include a points deduction for South Africa, impacting their World Cup qualification prospects.

Bafana may face similar punishment as Ethiopia & Nigeria

Briefly News earlier reported that Bafana Bafana could face a similar punishment from FIFA just like Ethiopia and Nigeria after violating a rule against Lesotho.

South Africa could have three points removed from the 13 points they've garnered in Group C in the World Cup qualifying series.

Nomso Obiajuru was a contributing writer in this article

Source: Briefly News