Bafana Bafana legend Itumeleng Khune has expressed his dismay over the possible points deduction currently faced by the South African national football team, drawing a painful comparison with the 2011 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualification saga that left the country heartbroken.
Khune, who has been a fixture in the Bafana Bafana squad for over a decade, said that the potential points deduction for fielding Teboho Mokoena, who had accumulated two yellow cards, has brought back unwanted memories of a similar situation during the 2011 AFCON qualification campaign.
In 2011, Bafana Bafana thought they had secured their place in the AFCON finals after a goalless draw against Sierra Leone in Nelspruit. The match saw South Africa finish equal on points with both Sierra Leone and Niger, all with nine points from six matches. The celebrations began early, as the South African players believed they had advanced based on their superior goal difference. However, it was later revealed that the qualification criteria were determined by head-to-head results between the three teams, not goal difference. Niger, despite having the worst goal difference and losing three matches, advanced to the finals, leaving Bafana Bafana devastated and South Africa in disbelief.
Khune vividly recalled the confusion surrounding that campaign, stating that it was a painful and frustrating episode for the entire nation.
"I'm even having goosebumps now because I'm becoming emotional because of such things. You know, as a federation, you should request for such things upfront. You should know and you should let us as players know before stepping onto the field that there's a possibility that this might happen, or that this might not happen," Khune told the Siya crew.
The goalkeeper's frustration stems from the fact that similar miscommunication seems to be happening again. He recalled the 2011 incident, where Bafana Bafana were unaware of the head-to-head qualification rule until after the game, leading to the devastating realisation that they hadn't qualified.
"When we were playing AFCON qualifiers, I remember we thought we were left with one game. We needed a draw. We celebrated in Nelspruit thinking that we had qualified only to find out someone from SAFA ignored the email from CAF or from FIFA stating that head-to-head means you can't qualify," Khune explained.
Now, with the threat of a points deduction hanging over Bafana Bafana's qualification hopes, Khune is once again calling for accountability.
"Same thing that is happening right now, being deducted three points and three goals after so much hard work that was put in, someone must be held accountable. Because we can't keep on taking 10 steps forward and taking 20 steps backwards. Someone must be accountable and someone must come out and say to the nation, 'I'm sorry that I've cost the national team the three points and the three goals'".
