McKenzie acted ‘immaturely’ in Mokoena saga - Cash N Sport founder

Keely Goodall
17 October 2025 | 15:14Sports minister Gayton McKenzie has requested a full report from SAFA on the Bafana Bafana yellow card saga.
- 702 Drive with John Perlman
- John Perlman
- South African Football Association (SAFA)
- Bafana Bafana
- Gayton McKenzie
FILE: Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie. Picture: @SportArtsCultur/X
Bafana Bafana’s FIFA World Cup dreams were almost dashed after they were docked points for playing a banned player.
South Africa was hit with a three-point deduction by FIFA after playing Teboho Mokoena, who was supposed to be serving a one-match suspension for receiving two yellow cards in the group stages.
While Bafana Bafana managed to bounce back from this setback and secure their spot in the World Cup, the saga is not over yet.
Sports minister Gayton McKenzie has requested a full report from the South African Football Association (SAFA) on the incident and has written a letter to FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Nqobile Ndlovu, the founder of Cash N Sport, says that the minister could have handled this better and may have ‘put the cart before the horse’ in demanding accountability publicly.
“I think the minister acted a bit immaturely in the beginning.”
To listen to Nqobile Ndlovu, the founder of Cash N Sport, in conversation with John Perlman on 702’s Afternoon Drive, click the audio player below: