BAFANA BAFANA assistant coach Trott Moloto on Monday said they may have to change their World Cup plan following news that Charlton Athletic striker Shaun Bartlett has definitely been ruled out of the World Cup finals in Japan/South Korea next month.
”This is disturbing news because the whole plan was around him. He is our top goalscorer,” said Moloto.
”We’ll have to come up with another option, which means coming up with a suitable candidate. But the whole strategy has to change and shift from Bartlett,” said Moloto.
Bartlett has been suffering with an ankle injury since the Africa Cup of Nations in Mali early this year where he ended up playing only a few minutes in the opening match against Burkina Faso.
He will undergo an operation later in the week and be out of action for six weeks.
”We will be able to make a decision in the next two days about a
replacement. We are going to be meeting and sharing some opinions,”
said Moloto.
The preliminary squad arrived in Durban on Monday where they will be camping and preparing for a friendly against Madagascar on Sunday.
Moloto said they were expecting Siyabonga Nomvete, Bradley Carnell, Aaron Mokoena and Delron Buckley to join their teammates on Tuesday.
”We are still negotiating where players like Sibusiso Zuma and Quinton Fortune are concerned.
”While we understand that their clubs need them, we also need to start preparing for the national team,” he said. – Sapa