OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Wednesday 1.25pm.
MOROKA Swallows midfielder Jokhonia Cibi received his second Bafana Bafana call-up on Tuesday as South African coach Trott Moloto struggled to find a replacement for Dumisa Ngobe whose Turkish club Ankaragucu has failed to released him for Saturday’s Olympic qualifier against Lesotho.
Cibi, 23, has the talent to perform well on Saturday, but Ngobe’s anchoring role in the midfield will be missed.
Moloto had his work cut out to secure the release of some of his players, notably wingback Bradley Carnell whose club VfB Stuttgart needed him for an important match over the weekend.
Carnell was voted man of the match during the 2-0 first-leg win in Maseru.
Carnell, defender Pierre Issa and Cibi, who replaced Dumi Ngobe, all arrived in Bloemfontein where they are preparing for the match at Shimla Park on Tuesday.
Another Bundesliga player, VfL Bochum’s Delron Buckley, will arrive on Wednesday morning.
While the overseas clubs have co-operated quite well with Moloto, he is being snubbed by local giants Kaizer Chiefs who have refused to release Siyabonga Nomvete and Jabu Pule until after the club’s PSL match against Bloemfontein Celtic in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
Moloto has called Chiefs’ decision unacceptable, saying that he cannot prepare a winning team if clubs don’t co-operate. Moloto has placed his faith in Safa to get the players he needs as soon as possible.