Team manager Vincent Tseka’s explanation that he missed Mokoena’s booking against Zimbabwe because he had left the technical area to fetch ice, is indefensible. At this level, such inattention is unacceptable. Match reports, media coverage, and SAFA’s own updates clearly noted the booking. The information was available; it was simply ignored.
What’s worse is the complete lack of accountability that followed. The same official at the centre of the fiasco continued with the team as though nothing had happened, smiling through the qualifiers while the country held its breath. That image symbolises the deeper problem: within our football structures, mistakes seem to go unpunished.
Meanwhile, Mokoena bore the emotional and professional fallout. He faced public blame and online abuse for an error he did not commit. Football is a game of emotion, and to see a player suffer for administrative incompetence is unacceptable. Had South Africa failed to qualify, the damage to his confidence and reputation could have been permanent.
This was not a simple oversight; it was a dereliction of duty. Fans, players, and the nation deserve better. Human error may be inevitable, but accountability is not optional. An apology to Mokoena would be a start but genuine reform and responsibility must follow if we are to restore trust in South African football.