Pitso Mosimane on Wednesday sent midfielder Macbeth Sibaya ”home to Natal” following the death of his father on Monday — and the Bafana Bafana coach may, in the process, have lost his Russian-based midfielder for the African Nations Cup qualifying game against the Congo at FNB Stadium on Saturday.
”The boy had only just returned from Russia,” said Mosimane, ”and was depressed and deep in mourning. I told him to go home to his family and come back before Saturday’s game if he felt up to it.
”Either way, I don’t know whether he will be in the right frame of mind and condition to play against the Congo. But there are more important things in life than a soccer game.”
The Sibaya setback comes in the wake of the withdrawals earlier in the week of Benni McCarthy and Quinton Fortune — which has now cast doubts about the two English Premiership players representing Bafana in the future.
Blackburn-based McCarthy initially indicated he would be available for the Congo game and then declared he was unavailable because of the pregnancy of his wife and a desire to concentrate on his club career.
The McCarthy saga was further complicated when South African Football Association CEO Raymond Hack declared hazily that the national association now considers the wayward striker to be ”retired”.
A couple of days earlier at the squad announcement, Hack had paradoxically disclosed that top scorer Shaun Bartlett was the only player who had notified Safa about his retirement from international football.
Fortune, for his part, is believed to be injured. But he has become known as ”The Phantom” in local soccer circles for his penchant of evading contact with Safa and Bafana officials.
”For the rest,” said Mosimane, ”all the selected players are in camp and doing well — and that includes Siyabonga Nomvete, who came into the squad as a replacement for McCarthy.” — Sapa