Lesotho FA secretary general Mokhosi Mohapi has called out the South African Football Association for being “arrogant” ahead of Friday’s FIFA World Cup qualifier at the Free State Stadium.
Mohapi has been in the news all week for being at the forefront of the matter involving Bafana Bafana midfielder Teboho Mokoena.
The Lesotho FA have stated in no uncertain terms that they would lodge a protest if Mokoena features against them. This goes back to March this year, when Mokoena played in Bafana Bafana’s 2-0 win over Lesotho despite the fact that he was suspended after accumulating two yellow cards.
While the matter appeared to die down after Lesotho failed to lodge a protest with FIFA, the Lesotho FA has insisted it’s not over.
When Mohapi walked into the pre-meeting on Thursday in Bloemfontein, he immediately felt the tension.
“Yho, it was cold in there. People were not smiling. Football should not be this way. They were arrogant,” Mohapi told Radio 2000.
“But whether they like it or not, we are going to do it (protest). I thought this was just a game of football, but phew, no, my friend. Football should not be like this. This is not the spirit of fair play. Football should also be about friendship. But it’s okay because I’m also arrogant. I didn’t start this tension. I was just warning them to play the game by the rules,” he said.
“If you beat us, you must beat us fairly. But I can’t support somebody who doesn’t want to beat us fairly. This leaves a sour taste. If they want to play Teboho Mokoena, they must play him. But I’m warning them because the rules are clear. It’s clear about ineligible players.
“I’m not going to teach people about the rules. It’s not my job. If you appoint someone, they must know the rules, and they must apply them. That’s all. Football must be played within the rules. Whether you are a big country or a small country, under FIFA, we are all the same.”
Mohapi added, “Just because he didn’t play against Benin doesn’t mean he served his automatic suspension. You can’t do wrong today but try to fix it tomorrow and expect not to be punished.
“We will deal with this at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. I don’t want to expose too much. One day, this will also happen to South Africa. But just because you are stronger now, you think you can derail us.”
Meanwhile, Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos was having none of it when asked about the Mokoena matter.
“I will tell you that I’m not used to react to nonsense and I will not do it today. Thank you.”
