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.
- Home Affairs confident of resolving 'Dutchman' Kamohelo Mokotjo debacleSouth Africa’s department of Home Affairs are confident that they can solve the eligibility issue surrounding Kamohelo Mokotjo to enable him to play for Bafana Bafana against Guinea-Bissau on Saturday‚ a spokesman told Times Media Digital on Wednesday.
Safa and the department of Home Affairs have been scrambling to ensure that the FC Twente player is eligible to play.
Fifa told Times Media 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.”
- Kamohelo Mokotjo’s eligibility for Bafana remains up in the airHolland-based midfielder Kamohelo Mokotjo has joined the Bafana Bafana camp in Durban despite persisting uncertainty over his eligibility to play for the national team.
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.
- Will unlucky Walters finally end years of waiting for a run in a Bafana shirt?Bafana Bafana’s two matches against Guinea Bissau and Angola over the next seven days present acting coach Owen da Gama with an opportunity to right a wrong committed by his predecessors by giving veteran Shu-Aib Walters a first cap.
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.
- TMG Digital/TMG Sport
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