FIFA punishment loading for Bafana? Veteran referee reveals latest blunder

Bafana Bafana have been drawn in fresh controversy after revelations that they briefly played with 12 players during their friendly against Nicaragua.

Former PSL referee Victor Hlungwani has highlighted a significant blunder during South Africa’s recent friendly match, revealing that Bafana Bafana briefly played with 12 men against Nicaragua.

The incident occurred during the goalless draw at Orlando Amstel Arena on Friday night, a frustrating result for South Africa against a team ranked 131st in the world. Despite controlling the game and even missing a penalty, the home side failed to secure a victory.

The confusion arose in the 67th minute following a series of substitutions made by head coach Hugo Broos. For a short period, South Africa had an extra player on the field, giving them an illegal advantage.

Ex-ref reveals Bafana’s blunder

Hlungwani, known as ‘The Principal’, presented evidence of the error on SABC programme Soccerzone, explaining the potential consequences had a goal been scored during that time.

“Bafana Bafana played with 12 players,” Hlungwani stated. “As play continues, we can see there are 12 players on the field of play. When we count, we see 11 outfield players plus the goalkeeper, which means it is 12.”

🚨Soccer Zone | South Africa maybe be disqualified by FIFA or Docked Points on their FIFA rankings | 12 players on the field how did this happen?

Bafana Bafan played with 12 players during the Nicaragua game which raises concerns on how did SAFA allowed this to happen.

Who is… pic.twitter.com/EUopDRx6Us

— MrksPSLClub (@MrksPSLClub) June 1, 2026

He elaborated on the rules, referencing Law 3 of the game, which governs the number of players.

Breach of FIFA rules

“Does the law allow a team to play with 12 players? No,” he continued. “If a goal had been scored, it would have been disallowed, especially if that extra player had interfered with play.”

The numerical advantage, however, was short-lived and had no impact on the final score. The situation was corrected approximately a minute later when defender Ime Okon was instructed to leave the pitch, restoring the correct number of players for both teams.