Fuming MPs put SAFA through the wringer over Teboho Mokoena yellow card gaffe

Prominent Pietermaritzburg lawyer and sports administrator Poobalan 'Poobie' Govindasamy has stepped into the fray to rescue the South African Football Association (Safa) as it faced relentless criticism from the parliamentary sports portfolio committee.

Govindasamy, SAFA's head of legal, was part of the national football delegation that endured a barrage of questions from fuming members on Wednesday.

Their concerns were about governance, operations, and overall performance in promoting the sport on both local and international stages.

However, a matter that had members seething with anger was the shocking yellow card bungle.

As a result, the increasingly popular national team, Bafana Bafana, found itself at the centre of controversy. A few months ago, star midfielder Teboho Mokoena, featured in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Lesotho, despite being suspended due to accumulating yellow cards.

The issue sparked a wave of anger among MPs who questioned the team's management competency in handling player eligibility and disciplinary protocols.

This gaff has South Africa standing on the brink of losing three crucial points in Group C of the World Cup qualifiers. This unprecedented bungle could thwart their aspirations for qualification outside of a World Cup hosted on home soil, a feat they last achieved back in 2002.

MPs David Kgabo and Athol Trollip demanded clarity on why Safa has not held the responsible parties accountable for their actions and demanded the names of the people responsible.

Govindasamy said it was the duty of the team manager, Vincent Tseka, to provide the information to the team ahead of the match.

“I understand the position of Teboho Mokoena's case. The match commissioner from Mauritius, appointed by FIFA and CAF, had not received a suspension letter notifying of Mokoena's situation. It was also not sent to SAFA and the match commissioner (the question of the two yellow cards),” he said.

“He played innocently, and it was only subsequently that the information came to light.”

After MPs called for disciplinary steps against Tseka, Govindasamy said SAFA was at a standstill regarding potential action against Tseka, as it awaits crucial information from FIFA. Govindasamy explained the association cannot take any decisive steps until FIFA concludes its investigation into the matter.

Govindasamy explained that the ongoing inquiry is a complex one, deeply tied to procedural oversights.

“With due respect, the matter is still under investigation (by FIFA),” Govindasamy replied. “We've not received the final word on it.

"When FIFA makes the decision, only then will Safa's investigation be completed. The investigation is currently incomplete.

“I think the problem was that FIFA, CAF and the match commissioner were not informed of the yellow cards. When you go to the match commissioner's meeting (before the start of a match), that's when you're alerted to this.

“Even Safa was not officially alerted of Mokoena's two yellow cards. It came up after the match.”

SAFA president Danny Jordaan also stepped into the fray and promised that SAFA will take action after FIFA decides the matter.

“There will be accountability, but we must wait for all the reports to come in.

“If you act against any staff member, they have the right to take up the matter (in court). Our position is clear: we will defend the position on the side of what is right, but unfortunately, we cannot do that at this stage.

“We can plead that you give us some space so we can deal with the matter,” said Jordaan.