The controversial Bafana Bafana yellow card needs to be investigated, says Contralesa

​Bafana Bafana made the country proud last week when the team qualified for the World Cup soccer spectacle next.

However, it seems like the yellow card saga, where the national team was docked three points and three goals in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers by the soccer world body, Federation Internationale de Football Association (Fifa), is far from over.

The president of Contralesa, Kgosi Mathupa Mokoena, has now joined the chorus, stating that the administrative error that almost cost this nation a spot in the 2026 World Cup in America needs to be looked into and that there must be repercussions.

He urged the South African Football Association (Safa) to launch a full inquiry to identify the culprit behind the scoring error, urging Safa to investigate and identify the culprit.

“Contralesa congratulates our National Team for qualifying for the World Cup in America in 2026. We are very proud of our boys,” Mokoena said. “Contralesa, however, does not agree with Safa that the Tebogo Mokoena saga be ignored and be left as such and that we focus on the World Cup. The Tebogo Mokoena saga almost cost South Africa a space in the World Cup.”

Insisting that the issue be looked into so that the nation can determine who made the mistake, the traditional leader underlined the importance of accountability.

“This will assist in making sure that we know and we tell people not to sleep on the ball,” he added.

Following the administrative error, Minister of Sport, Arts, and Culture Gayton McKenzie formally wrote to FIFA and the South African Football Association (Safa) on Friday, demanding full accountability.

McKenzie apologised on behalf of the South African government and the Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture for the "regrettable incident" in which South Africa fielded an ineligible player during their match against Lesotho in a formal letter to Fifa President Gianni Infantino.

“This administrative oversight unfortunately brought South African football into disrepute,” McKenzie wrote. “It is not my intention, nor that of my department, to interfere in the administration of football, which we recognise as the sole purview of Fifa and Safa. ''However, as a nation, we are deeply committed to upholding the integrity of the game and maintaining South Africa’s reputation on the global stage.”