FOOTBALL NEWS - Erick Mathoho has been withdrawn from the Bafana Bafana squad to face Burkina Faso in the crucial 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifier as he has to serve his two-game suspension for the red card he received in the 2-1 loss to Cape Verde last month.
Motjeka Madisha of Mamelodi Sundowns has been called up to replace Mathoho.
The towering defender was part of the 25-man squad called up by Bafana Bafana head coach Stuart Baxter, pending a decision from the Fifa Disciplinary Committee (FDC), which sat on Friday, 28 September to deliberate on the match ban.
According to a communiqué from Fifa: “Erick Mathoho is regarded as having breached art. 48 par. 1 c) of the Fifa Disciplinary Code by committing an act of unsporting conduct against an opponent in the scope of the match played between the representative teams Cape Verde Islands and South Africa on 1 September 2017 within the frame of the Preliminary Competition for the 2018 Fifa World Cup Russia.
"The player, Erick Mathoho, is suspended for two matches including the automatic match suspension, which was served in the match played between the representative teams of South Africa and Cape Verde Islands on 5 September 2017.
The following match suspension has to be served during the match to be played between the representative teams of South Africa and Burkina Faso, scheduled on 7 October 2017.
"The player is ordered to pay a fine in the amount of CHF 5,000 in accordance with art.10 c) and art. 15 of the Fifa Disclipinary Committee (FDC)."
Mathoho has once again apologised to the nation for the incident.
