World football governing body FIFA has selected Chadian official Alhadi Mahamat as the referee for Nigeria’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Lesotho next week.
The matchday nine encounter is scheduled for the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, South Africa, on Friday, October 10, 2025 and will kick off at 6pm South Africa time, which is 5pm Nigeria time.
Allaou, who was also in charge of Nigeria’s 1-0 win over Rwanda in Uyo on September 6 during matchday seven, will work with compatriots Bogola Issa as first assistant referee, Moussa Hafiz as second assistant referee, and Abdelkerim Ousmane as fourth official.
FIFA also appointed Kenyan official Alice Kimani as referee assessor, while William Shongwe from eSwatini will serve as match commissioner.
Nigeria, currently three points behind first-placed Benin Republic and second-placed South Africa, need an outright victory to enhance their chances of reaching the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals, which will be jointly hosted by the United States of America, Canada and Mexico next summer.
The Super Eagles face a crucial double-header, with the Lesotho clash followed by a decisive home encounter against Benin Republic at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on October 14.
FIFA has confirmed that Egyptian referee Omar Amin Mohamed Amin Mohamed will officiate the Benin match, assisted by compatriots Mahmoud Aboulergal and Ali Teleb.
Nigeria’s qualification hopes received a boost after FIFA sanctioned South Africa for fielding an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena, in their 2-0 win over Lesotho in March, awarding a 3-0 victory to Lesotho instead.
The decision reshaped the group standings, with Benin and South Africa now tied on 14 points at the top after eight matches, while Nigeria and Rwanda sit just behind with 11 points apiece.
A maximum of six points from their remaining fixtures could take Nigeria to 17 points, potentially enough to secure top spot depending on other results. (Punch)
The world’s football governing body, FIFA, has officially opened disciplinary actions against South Africa for fielding an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena, during a 2026 World Cup qualifying match against Lesotho in March, PUNCH Online reports.
South African outlet, SABC Sport, reports that FIFA has levelled charges against the South African Football Association and Mokoena.
The report stated, “In a letter to SAFA dated September 15, 2025 – seen by the public broadcaster, FIFA confirmed that both the player and the association face charges of breaching several disciplinary regulations, including the fielding of an ineligible player.
“The case has been referred to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, with SAFA and Mokoena given six days to submit their response.”
Bafana Bafana are facing charges after fielding Mokoena, who was ineligible to play in March’s 2026 World Cup qualifier against Lesotho.
The 28-year-old midfielder had accumulated two yellow cards earlier in the qualifiers – first against Benin in November 2023 and then against Zimbabwe in June 2024 – which, under FIFA rules, triggered a one-match ban.
If found guilty, Bafana Bafana could be forced to forfeit the result of the match, which would hand Lesotho a 3–0 victory on paper, while other sanctions such as fines or suspensions could also be imposed.
South Africa currently lead Group C with 17 points, but a potential deduction will see them level on points with the Benin Republic (14) and also reduce the gap between them and Nigeria to three points, leaving the chances of picking the automatic ticket open with two games to go.
Lesotho, meanwhile, will find their tally bumped up from six points to nine, but will remain in fifth position, two points behind third-placed Nigeria and fourth-placed Rwanda on 11 points each.
South Africa will face Zimbabwe and Rwanda in their final two qualifiers in October.
Meanwhile, Nigeria will face Lesotho (away) and the Benin Republic (home), with the hope that South Africa slip up in either or both of their fixtures.
FIFA has recently punished Equatorial Guinea for also fielding an ineligible player, Emilio Nsue, during the qualifiers, and the decision was upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sports. (Punch)
More than 60 countries around the world are scrambling to respond to the latest wave of US tariffs announced by Donald Trump, which came into force on Thursday.
Industry representatives in rich and poor countries warned of job losses as the tariffs upended a decades-old world trading system with rates ranging from 10% to 39%, 40% and 41% for Switzerland, Brazil and Syria.
All over the globe, leaders were attempting to put contingencies in place after Trump’s tariff threats turned to reality at a minute past midnight Washington time.
The Brazilian government said it was planning a state aid plan for companies affected. The president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, said the duties were “unacceptable blackmail”.
Switzerland said it was seeking new talks with the US after a last-gasp mission to Washington by its president, Karin Keller-Sutter, failed to stop a 39% tariff blow that industry group Swissmem described as a “horror scenario”.
In a statement after an emergency meeting with Keller-Sutter, the Swiss cabinet said the tariffs would “place a substantial strain on Switzerland’s export-oriented economy”.
“For the affected sectors, companies and their employees, this is an extraordinarily difficult situation,” Keller-Sutter told reporters.
Taiwan is also continuing talks with the US. Its president, Lai Ching-te, said the 20% rate imposed on the key Washington ally was “temporary”.
Ireland, which is locked into an EU-US deal setting the tariff ceiling at 15%, said it would publish a new plan for diversifying an economy that relies heavily on US multinationals including Intel, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, all in Trump’s crosshairs.
Despite a last minute reprieve from Trump for Lesotho with tariffs dropping from 50% to 15%, the impoverished African nation said it was already hurting.
Textile industry players in the country – which produces jeans and other garments for US companies including Levi and Walmart – said the uncertainty around tariffs over the past few months had already devastated the sector, with orders cancelled and jobs cut.
Laos, which, like Brazil and Myanmar, was hit with a 40% rate, was among those handed a steep increase in import duties because of a trade imbalance with the US.
“A 40% tariff is just a nail in the coffin for any industry trying to ship to the United States,” Johannes Somers, the executive chair of the garment manufacturing firm Diep Vu, told Agence France Presse.
“We estimate about 20,000 workers or more could be impacted,” added Xaybandith Rasphone, the head of the Association of the Lao Garment Industry.
The sweeping “reciprocal” rates were announced by the White House a week ago, just before a previous 1 August deadline was due to elapse.
Just before the tariffs came into effect at midnight, Trump claimed on social media that billions of dollars would start flowing into the US as a result.
However, while the customs duties make countries’ exports more expensive and less competitive, they are payable on import and usually passed on to the customer.
“The only thing that can stop America’s greatness would be a radical left court that wants to see our country fail,” the president wrote in capital letters, referencing an ongoing case in the US court of appeals, which is considering whether he exceeded his authority in imposing the tariffs.
Some trading partners had already secured reductions through negotiations or by striking deals, including the UK, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Pakistan and the EU.
The EU is the only trading partner where its baseline rate of 15% will include previous tariffs. It means, for example, cheeses that are normally hit with import duties of 14.9% will be taxed at 15% and not 29.9%.
However, the deal has only been implemented in part with tariffs of 27.5% still being imposed on EU car imports while the details of the US-EU deal are being finalised.
Hildegard Müller, the president of the German car industry federation, said the EU-US deal had “brought no clarity or improvement” to the industry.
“The sectoral tariffs on cars and automotive parts of 27.5%, which have been in effect since April and May respectively, remain in place and place a significant burden on German automakers and automotive suppliers, as well as on transatlantic trade.
“It is important that the promised agreement is reached now and the relief measures are implemented promptly,” she said.
India’s 25% tariff rate could rise to a total of 50% after Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday imposing an additional levy in retaliation for the country’s purchase of oil from Russia. Delhi has 21 days to respond. Trump has threatened to use the same tactic on other countries that supply Russia. (Guardian)
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