When it comes to problems piling up for Bafana Bafana, the old dictum that ”it never rains, but it pours” would not be inappropriate.
On Friday, barely 24 hours after coach Stuart Baxter had announced the names of 21 players for what has evolved into a decisive African Nations Cup qualifying game for Bafana against the Democratic Republic in Congo (DRC) in Durban next Saturday, both Bradley Carnell and Dillon Sheppard withdrew from the squad.
Carnell is still struggling to regain fitness after having chipped bone particles removed from his ankle and Sheppard has visa problems in Greece that make it prohibitive for him to leave the country at this stage.
Significantly, both players were candidates to fill the left-back position against the DRC, with Mamelodi Sundowns’ David Kannemeyer now the likeliest contender to fill this problem area for Bafana.
Siboniso Pa Gaxa has been called up as a utility defensive replacement, with his Supersport United colleague Ricardo Katza also able to play at left-back or any other position in the back four.
The Bafana squad, who now numbers 20 players instead of 21 — the number needs to be reduced to 18 before the DRC game in any case — are due to assemble in Durban on Monday.
And while Baxter has conceeded that allowances might have to be made for certain players with club duties on Sunday, he has announced a new tough line in which players who are not fully committed will not be included in the line-up against the DRC — and might even find themsleves out of the squad altogether. — Sapa