South Africa beat Benin 2-0 on Tuesday to lead an African 2026 World Cup qualifying group by five points, but the advantage could be reduced for fielding an ineligible player last week.
Teboho Mokoena helped South Africa beat Lesotho in round five four days ago, but should not have played as he had accumulated two yellow cards, triggering an automatic one-match ban.
A South African Football Association official, who requested anonymity, conceded that Mokoena was cautioned in matchday one against Benin in 2023 and matchday four against Zimbabwe last year.
"The team management were guilty of incompetence ahead of the Lesotho match.