The SA Football Association (Safa) has come to the rescue of Mulomowandau Mathoho by paying his R70000 Fifa fine to make him eligible for the match against Senegal at Peter Mokaba Stadium tomorrow night, but he will have to pay back the money.

The Kaizer Chiefs defender was slapped with a two-match suspension and fined 5000 Swiss francs (R70000) for his red card in Bafana's 2-1 loss in Cape Verde in September.

He was supposed to pay the fine himself and, failing to do so, would have led to Fifa extending his suspension until he coughed up. But for now Safa have paid to ensure he's available for selection.

Safa can help pay a fine, but only in cases where his action was considered not reckless.

In Mathoho's case, he was to blame hence his apology.

"With Safa having paid the fine, he will now come to an arrangement with the association on how to repay the money. Players earn R60000 for a Bafana win and R30000 for a draw. It is unclear if the money would be deducted from his share.

"We've got a policy that if it's in the line of duty - if someone is fighting [for the ball], goes for a tackle and is sent off, but we think it was good play, we pay it," Bafana coach Stuart Baxter explained yesterday.

"If it's reckless - if it's talking back [to the referee], if that's the case then the player pays it himself... we think that Tower's was reckless, so I think we paid that and that will be repaid."

Also on Fifa's firing line was midfielder Bongani Zungu who was sent off against Burkina Faso last month for being involved in a bust-up with opposition players.

Safa will reportedly pay his R70000 fine because he was not necessarily reckless.

Unlike Mathoho who served a two-match suspension, Zungu is only suspended for one match, so he will be available for the return leg against Senegal in Dakar on Tuesday.