Teboho Mokoena and Bafana Bafana Players Start AFCON With Clean Slate

Teboho Mokoena will headline the list of Bafana Bafana players entering the Africa Cup of Nations with all yellow cards from the qualifiers cleared by CAF, ensuring the squad begins the tournament on a clean slate.

Mokoena’s situation drew attention during the World Cup qualifiers after he was mistakenly fielded against Lesotho in March while ineligible. He had accumulated two yellow cards earlier in the campaign, against Benin in November 2023 and Zimbabwe seven months later. The administrative error led to Bafana being docked three points, though they still qualified as group winners, finishing just one point ahead of Nigeria.

With the Nations Cup set to kick off in Morocco in under six weeks, Bafana Bafana is focused on preparations, including a friendly against Zambia on Saturday. Thanks to CAF’s decision, all players’ yellow cards from the qualifiers have been wiped clean ahead of the tournament.

Besides Mokoena, other players who had received yellow cards in the qualifiers include Siyabonga Ngezana (twice), Khuliso Mudau, Lyle Foster, Sphephelo Sithole, Elias Mokwana, Sinoxolo Kwayiba, and Nyiko Mobbie. Mokoena, Mudau, Foster, and Sithole are all expected to feature on the flight to Morocco.

The decision to clear yellow cards is based on Article 42 of Chapter 17 of the AFCON regulations, which governs player sanctions. The rules state that cautions received during qualifiers do not carry over into the final tournament. At the end of the group stage, all cautions are cancelled for the remainder of the competition, though a player who collects two yellow cards will serve a one-match suspension.

Bafana Bafana has been drawn in Group B and will face Angola on December 22, Egypt on December 26, and Zimbabwe on December 29. Starting the tournament with a clean disciplinary record allows coach Hugo Broos to plan his squad with all players available, increasing the team’s competitiveness as they aim to make a strong showing in Morocco.