There were few positives from Bafana Bafana's three-point FIFA World Cup qualifying points deduction that almost cost them a spot at the tournament, but being in the centre of the storm taught Teboho Mokoena a lesson in helping teammates through trying times.
Mokoena played against Lesotho in March despite being suspended, leading to South Africa's initial 2-0 win being overturned and retrospectively recorded as a 3-0 loss. Head coach Hugo Broos has taken responsibility for the oversight, while team manager Vincent Tseka has been widely reported as the official directly responsible for failing to alert the Belgian head coach.
South African Sports, Arts & Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie has said he accepted an explanation that Tseka was not present as he had... left to fetch ice?
Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Mokoena -- who was issued with a warning by FIFA over the incident -- shouldered criticism from fans and former SAFA CEO Raymond Hack for not being aware of his suspension.
It was an unusual experience for a player more accustomed to being in the headlines for positive reasons, if at all, and doing his best to help his teammates through their own trying times. When Bafana finally clinched qualification for next year's tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico, it was a weight off Mokoena's shoulders.
"It's been haunting me - not really the social media [criticism], but [the realisation] that we might not go to the World Cup because of this. After we qualified for the World Cup, I couldn't even get excited. I was just relieved," Mokoena told ESPN.
"It was a crazy few months of my life because it affected me a lot -- my performance at the club -- because I couldn't even speak about it. The only people who understood what was happening were my family and my friends because I told them about it."
Mokoena has admitted that footballers do not often discuss their problems, but the experience of suffering during FIFA World Cup qualifying has given him tools that he believes can help him spot a teammate in need of an arm around the shoulder.
He added: "I think we, as footballers, we don't speak about what we go through. We normally bottle everything up - we deal with everything ourselves.
"Even me, I didn't even speak about it because I knew it was stressing my mom. Every time she called, [she said]: 'Oh, my son - they are saying this and this and this at home.' Imagine I had to tell her: 'Even me. I am struggling... I can't handle it. People are coming to me and saying I killed us with this yellow card thing.'
"Imagine you put another stress on top of another stress. You feel like you can't even speak to your parents. You can, but you can't really give all the information because already, they are struggling.
"For you, you are like: 'Let me rather deal with it myself' instead of asking for help. That's the thing we normally go through as footballers.
"I will definitely check up on [teammates who are going through similar issues] because I know how it goes."
One of the international teammates Mokoena counts on to be in his corner during troubled times is Sipho Mbule, who grew up with him in Bethlehem in the Free State and previously played with him for SuperSport United and Sundowns.
Mbule has since moved on to Orlando Pirates and revived his career after facing criticism for his off-field behaviour at Sundowns and during a loan spell at Sekhukhune United. As a result, he is back in the Bafana Bafana squad, where he has been reunited with Mokoena. In the recent 3-1 win over Zambia which saw Mokoena clinch his 50th cap, Mbule scooped the Man of the Match Award.
Both players also started Bafana Bafana's AFCON opener as they clinched a 2-1 win over Angola.
"We grew up in the same hometown. We both went to Harmony [Sports Academy]... I came to SuperSport and he came after. I moved to Sundowns first and he came after. We have been together through the journey. It's beautiful... We played for the U20s, we played for the U23s [and now] Bafana," said Mokoena.
"We reach out about anything we go through in our careers and personal lives... He was amazing."
How Sundowns helped Mokoena find strength
While the Bafana points deduction setback may have been Mokoena's biggest challenge to date, he has demonstrated his resilience on other occasions at Sundowns since joining in early 2022. One of the first obstacles he had to overcome was responding constructively to criticism from Rhulani Mokwena, a coach he holds in high regard.
"I think Sailor (Khuliso Mudau) won the ball and I took a shot out of nowhere and then it went elsewhere. He (Mokwena) asked me: 'Do you think it was the proper way to take that shot?,'" recalled Mokoena.
"I was like: 'Yeah, in that moment.' He said: 'Did you see the effort that Sailor [put in] tackling that guy and winning the ball? Then, you just kick the ball out of nowhere and take a shot. You must make the players believe in you - not the other way around - because you are new here.'"
Mokoena was in and out of the starting lineup in the second half of 2021-22 after joining Sundowns midway through the season. However, he spent the offseason reflecting on Mokwena's words and decided to rise to the challenge of proving his worth.
After Sundowns parted ways with Mokwena in 2024, Manqoba Mngqithi took the hotseat. Mngqithi had previously co-coached the team alongside the younger Mokwena from 2020-2022, but Mokwena had been given sole control of Sundowns after a difficult start to the 2022-23 season. Mngqithi had served as his assistant before resuming head coaching duties after Mokwena's departure at the end of 2023-24.
Mngqithi initially enjoyed a positive relationship with Mokoena, his reliable midfield general. However, the pair did not see eye to eye early in the 2024-25 season - another instance in which Mokoena faced rare criticism from the Sundowns fans as he found himself in and out of the team prior to Mngqithi's December 2024 dismissal.
"I just knew that everything that was happening to me was temporary. I knew I was going to come back and play again. I always had that belief, because I knew that Coach Manqoba didn't hate me... It was just a misunderstanding because of the issues," Mokoena reflected.
"He helped me when I was doing my negotiations with my contract... Afterwards, we had that misunderstanding and people thought that I didn't respect him, but it was water under the bridge because I apologised. We had our issues, but even when he left, I sent him a message to thank him for being part of my journey while he was still at Sundowns."
Lessons from continental heartbreaks
Miguel Cardoso took over as head coach after Mngqithi's dismissal. The Portuguese mentor led Sundowns to the CAF Champions League final, but they lost to Egypt's Pyramids FC over two legs.
A turbulent 2024-25 season at club level - like the World Cup qualifying setback internationally and losing to Nigeria in the semi-finals of AFCON 2023, held in early 2024 in Côte d'Ivoire - motivated Mokoena to be a better teammate. He saw the value in a group staying united.
"What I've learned [from finishing third at the last AFCON and second in the CAF Champions League] is teamwork. The lesson is: we must fight together to get what we want... not only the players who are playing, but also the players who are outside.
"We must open our hearts for other players... Sometimes, when you open your heart for other players, the same person who you opened your heart for will open your heart for you - so that you can become a better player. That's what I believe in," the midfielder said.
Mokoena has credited Broos for instilling a sense of unity in Bafana Bafana which the midfielder admitted did not exist prior to the former Cameroon boss' 2021 appointment.
"I don't want to say it's only him, but everyone involved. We did it together," Mokoena said, while also acknowledging that Broos "created that harmony in the national team".
"Now, when a new player comes into the national team camp, look at [Khulumani] Ndamane and how he played. Look at [Mbekezeli] Mbokazi and how he played, and even [Samukele] Kabini, it doesn't look like they are new," he continued.
Mokoena is acutely aware that harmony within the squad could be the difference between him being an African champion at club and international level within the next seven months and coming up empty-handed again.
From football to finances
For the 28-year-old, being a positive teammate is not only about the football itself, but also about passing on off-field lessons to younger players.
Mokoena became an Investec ambassador in August 2025 and is determined to help his teammates gain financial literacy. His desire to give back has been motivated by watching his late father, Alexis 'Didi' Motaung, struggle to make a living after retirement from a career that saw him play for QwaQwa Stars and Hellenic.
Motaung got a job as a supervisor at a casino resort in Bethlehem. Mokoena was not as close to his father as his mother, but close enough to learn from his mistakes - which were particularly common among South African footballers in the early years after the end of apartheid, as they were exposed to the possibility of a lifestyle few of them had access to previously.
"For me, I feel like I know it's not a downgrade in a way [to work in a casino resort], but I felt like he could have done more [to secure his future]," Mokoena said of his father.
"Those are the lessons... If he got the education or the financial literacy that he needed while he was still playing, he would have taken wiser decisions."
Mokoena has had his own ups and downs on and off the pitch, his stock ultimately continues to rise in both departments.