Bafana Bafana coach Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba did not try to hide his disgust yesterday after midfielder May Mahlangu’s used “fatigue” as an excuse for not joining the squad ahead of their crucial Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Sudan and Nigeria.
South Africa face the former at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday and a win will ensure their qualification, even though a venue for the tournament has yet to be confirmed.
Mashaba has dealt with far worse, with his first tenure as Bafana coach in 2003 and 2004 largely headlined by European-based players finding the minutest of reasons for evading national team duty.
Mashaba said Mahlangu, who plays for IFK Goteborg in Sweden sent him an e-mail saying that he was tired, with the withdrawal coming from the player and not the team.
The selfsame Mahlangu, who was clubless early last year, was nursed back to health by the very same national team during the African Nations Championship when he was recovering from a serious groin injury.
“It is not acceptable that the player tells me that he is tired but I don’t get angry anymore,” Mashaba said.
‘‘I have told myself that I need to be able to smile. I think we will have to follow it up with the powers that be, maybe Fifa or Caf because it is not acceptable for a player to tell us that he is tired. We received an e-mail from him but the country has too much talent to disappointed by one person.
“The next time these players are not called up, you must understand what is the reason. When I took up this position, I raised the question of patriotism, which is the most important thing. When the player comes out and says he’s tired when he is picked for the national team, what about the players who have been sacrificing their time for the national team? Those are the players we need to look at.”
Mahlangu and his representatives were not available for comment yesterday.
Bafana will also be without Sibusiso Vilakazi, who has been ruled out with a toe injury. Thulani Serero took part in yesterday’s first training session and is struggling with a mild thigh muscle strain.
There is still the small matter of having to deal with the emotions surrounding South Africa’s first match since the passing of Senzo Meyiwa. But Mashaba said the team’s emotions are in the right place and he will be announcing his captain on Friday.
Bafana have not qualified for a tournament since the 2008 Ghana edition, with Mashaba saying that their focus is squarely on beating Sudan and letting the other things fall into place. If there is one thing missing from Mashaba’s second stint, it is a win at home.
“I haven’t looked at Sudan’s recent game and it would have been a good thing if I did. At the same time I don’t want to read too much into them. We have got our players that we need to psyche up for the game. We will work on our strong points and also look at how we can counter them,” Mashaba said.
“It will be a good thing if we win at home because we have been winning away and by the time we get home, the celebration has already subsided. We want to win at home and we want to see how do our people celebrate.”
'Tired' May irks Shakes
South Africa face the former at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday and a win will ensure their qualification, even though a venue for the tournament has yet to be confirmed.
Mashaba has dealt with far worse, with his first tenure as Bafana coach in 2003 and 2004 largely headlined by European-based players finding the minutest of reasons for evading national team duty.
Mashaba said Mahlangu, who plays for IFK Goteborg in Sweden sent him an e-mail saying that he was tired, with the withdrawal coming from the player and not the team.
The selfsame Mahlangu, who was clubless early last year, was nursed back to health by the very same national team during the African Nations Championship when he was recovering from a serious groin injury.
“It is not acceptable that the player tells me that he is tired but I don’t get angry anymore,” Mashaba said.
‘‘I have told myself that I need to be able to smile. I think we will have to follow it up with the powers that be, maybe Fifa or Caf because it is not acceptable for a player to tell us that he is tired. We received an e-mail from him but the country has too much talent to disappointed by one person.
“The next time these players are not called up, you must understand what is the reason. When I took up this position, I raised the question of patriotism, which is the most important thing. When the player comes out and says he’s tired when he is picked for the national team, what about the players who have been sacrificing their time for the national team? Those are the players we need to look at.”
Mahlangu and his representatives were not available for comment yesterday.
Bafana will also be without Sibusiso Vilakazi, who has been ruled out with a toe injury. Thulani Serero took part in yesterday’s first training session and is struggling with a mild thigh muscle strain.
There is still the small matter of having to deal with the emotions surrounding South Africa’s first match since the passing of Senzo Meyiwa. But Mashaba said the team’s emotions are in the right place and he will be announcing his captain on Friday.
Bafana have not qualified for a tournament since the 2008 Ghana edition, with Mashaba saying that their focus is squarely on beating Sudan and letting the other things fall into place. If there is one thing missing from Mashaba’s second stint, it is a win at home.
“I haven’t looked at Sudan’s recent game and it would have been a good thing if I did. At the same time I don’t want to read too much into them. We have got our players that we need to psyche up for the game. We will work on our strong points and also look at how we can counter them,” Mashaba said.
“It will be a good thing if we win at home because we have been winning away and by the time we get home, the celebration has already subsided. We want to win at home and we want to see how do our people celebrate.”
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos