Former captain of the senior national team of South Africa Itumeleng Khune has called for the sacking of whoever is responsible for the blunder of fielding an ineligible player that will see them lose three points in the world cup qualifiers, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
South Africa fielded Theboho Mokoena in the game against Lesotho, which they won 2-0 but could lose the points and also get deducted three points owing to the fact that he has picked up two yellow cards in previous games.
If it happens, it will narrow their comfortable lead at the top to just two points over Rwanda and more importantly just three points behind Nigeria who they see as their main rivals in the group in the race to be at the 2026 World Cup.
Khune while speaking on the issue said its painful because it has happened before, but a bit different back then explaining how someone missing an email made them think they have made it to the AFCON only to find out that it wasn’t so.
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“When we were playing AFCON qualifiers, I remember we thought we were left with one game. We needed a draw. We celebrated in Nelspruit thinking that we had qualified only to find out someone from SAFA ignored the email from CAF or from FIFA stating that head-to-head means you can’t qualify,” Khune told Soccer Laduma.
“I’m even having goosebumps now because I’m becoming emotional because of such things. You know, as a federation, you should request such things upfront. You should know, and you should let us as players know before stepping onto the field that there’s a possibility that this might happen or that this might not happen.
He lamented the same lackluster attitude could once again cost the team dearly and called for whoever made the blunder to be fired from his role.
“Same thing that is happening right now, being deducted three points and three goals after so much hard work that was put in; someone must be held accountable. Because we can’t keep on taking 10 steps forward and taking 20 steps backward. Someone must be accountable, and someone must come out and say to the nation, “I’m sorry that I’ve cost the national team the three points and the three goals’,” the former Bafana star concluded.
Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman
