Nigeria coach Eric Chelle urges FIFA to quickly manage Teboho Mokoena saga ahead of game against Bafana Bafana - 'My problem is my players'

Teboho Mokoena wasn't supposed to play against Lesotho in March after being booked twice in the initial outings.

However, Bafana Bafana made a mistake by fielding him in the 2-0 Group C win over the Crocodiles in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier.

Lesotho discovered too late that the Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder wasn't supposed to get involved.

FIFA have been silent on the matter, probably because no official complaint has been lodged. 

Nigeria hope the World Football Organising body will dock Bafana Bafana points to give the West African nation a chance to qualify for the global tournament.

Ahead of the game between the Super Eagles and Bafana Bafana, coach Eric Chelle has urged FIFA to act fast to end speculations surrounding the incident and the teams involved.

“I’m just the coach, I lead my team, what happens around my team and around this game in terms of the yellow card [on Mokoena], there’s an organisation whose name it’s FIFA, they need to manage it,” he told the media.

“Now, this is not my problem. My problem is that my players are first because they are focused. 

"They want to play a great game here, and I feel like we have to think about our game, not about what happens around the game and around the story.

“But the reality if I can tell you, I think FIFA needs to manage it quickly," Chelle concluded. 

South Africa top Group C with 16 points and a win on Tuesday will seal their World Cup slot if Benin drop points against Lesotho.

The Super Eagles have no option but to win to stay in contention.