By Thapelo Molefe
Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie says the South African Football Association (SAFA) has been cleared of wrongdoing in the “yellow card blunder” that led to Bafana Bafana’s FIFA points deduction, describing it as a rare administrative mistake caused by under-resourcing and lack of support for national teams.
This follows McKenzie’s directive for an investigation into the circumstances that led to Bafana Bafana being stripped of their victory over Lesotho in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier in March.
Speaking at a comprehensive media briefing on Tuesday, McKenzie said SAFA had fully complied with his call for accountability and had completed an internal investigation into the incident.
He explained that the disciplinary confusion, which saw midfielder Teboho Mokoena fielded while ineligible, arose from an unusual 16-month gap between two yellow cards issued to the player—one in March 2023 against Liberia and another in June 2024 against
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