Lesotho Football Association (LEFA) Secretary General Mokhosi Mohapi has explained why they didn’t file a complaint against their South African counterparts (SAFA) regarding the illegibility of Teboho Mokoena in their World Cup qualifier last Friday.
The Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder is in the centre of the saga after being fielded in Bafana’s 2-0 win over Likuoena in Group C even though he had accumulated two yellow cards during the campaign that should have seen him sit-out the fixture in Polokwane.
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Mohapi told iDiski Times they only made the discovery about Mokoena after the game, and hence they didn’t lodge an official complaint but contacted FIFA to find out what needs to happen to anyone found guilty of such a transgression in the future.
“We want to know who should do what in the case of a team or a country that plays a player who’s not supposed to play,” Mohapi said when contacted by iDiski Times.
“You will have to understand that we are a member of a body called FIFA, which we want them to apply the rules and regulations in such a manner that the integrity of sport is protected.
“In other words, everybody should abide with the regulations. Where there are transgressions it should not be who transgressed, but it should be what should be done when there is a transgression.
“If they decide to give us three points that will be okay no problem, if they [FIFA] decide, they are the ones we have the power to do that…”
Mohapi adds that his country doesn’t feel cheated and aren’t even bitter hence the decision to leave the matter in the hands of the world governing body.
“If you say that you put it as if we want to punish our neighbours, that is far from it,” continued Mohapi.
“What it is, is that next time everybody who transgresses, including us, it could be us too we should be taken to task. Do we feel cheated, no, not at all.
“If we ever want to say we feel cheated, if the player didn’t take part would the result change, that’s what you have to look at. So we didn’t feel cheated.
“That is why we are saying there’s no compelling reason to try and say, look, we have a winnable case, let’s just try. We don’t. We haven’t even engaged our lawyers for that matter to get their opinion. We haven’t.”
