Head coach of the senior national team of Benin Republic Gernot Rohr says he expects FIFA to deduct three points from South Africa for fielding an ineligible player in a world cup qualifiers group game against Lesotho.
South Africa won the game 2-0 but fielded Teboho Mokoena who was supposed to be suspended for the game after picking up two bookings in previous games. Situations like that in the past has been met with points deductions by FIFA.
Recounting his experience with something similar why at the helm as the coach of the senior national team of Nigeria, Rohr said it came as a huge surprise when they were told that Shehu Abdullahi, who played against Algeria in their dead rubber world cup qualifiers game shouldn’t have played because he has picked up two bookings previously.
” We (Nigeria) were lucky back then that we had already qualified. No one not even Algeria saw it coming. So I expect FIFA to take the same decision like it was in the Nigeria case against South Africa for a similar offence”, Rohr told OwnGoalNigeria.com.
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If South Africa are docked points it will reduce their lead at the top against Benin Republic who were beaten by the group leaders in the previous round of games. The gap will be narrowed to just two points.
More worrying for South Africa is the fact that it will bring the gap with Nigeria to three points with both teams set to clash in South Africa later this year.
Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman
