Bafana Bafana's blunder playing a suspended Teboho Mokoena has become a hot talking point.
Image: Samuel Shivambu / BackpagePix
Bafana Bafana’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign has suffered a major setback after they were docked three points and handed a 3-0 defeat due to administrative negligence during the March qualifiers on home soil.
Team manager Vincent Tseka failed to pick up that midfielder Teboho Mokoena was ineligible to play against Lesotho, having accumulated two yellow cards in previous qualifiers.
The sanction from the governing body means Bafana have slipped to second place in Group C, level on 14 points with new leaders Benin but trailing on goal difference.
On this week’s Independent Media football podcast, The D-Line, Malibongwe Mdletshe, Herman Gibbs and Mihlali Baleka unpack how Bafana ended up in this situation—and what Hugo Broos’s men must do to reclaim top spot as they prepare for their final two qualifiers against Zimbabwe and Nigeria.
The matches will be staged at Moses Mabhida Stadium and Mbombela Stadium on October 10 and 14 respectively.
But that’s not all. The trio also look ahead to the start of the Carling Knockout this weekend.
Since its rebrand three seasons ago, the PSL’s league cup has been dominated by underdogs. Stellenbosch claimed the inaugural edition in 2023, while Magesi shocked Mamelodi Sundowns in last season’s final to lift the trophy.
This time around, Mdletshe, Gibbs and Baleka ask whether the competition will once again favour the so-called “smaller teams,” or if the traditional giants — Sundowns, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs — will reassert their dominance.