The stature of a World Cup-winning coach in harness or not, it was the same old story for Bafana Bafana on Tuesday when it became evident that overseas-based players Sibusiso Zuma and Elrio van Heerden would not be arriving in South Africa for Carlos Alberto Parreira’s first training camp at the FNB Stadium.
”It is something that happens all around the world,” was Parreira’s curt assessment of the sombre news.
But, for all this, it was a situation that tended to dampen the enthusiasm and euphoria that had accompanied the camp’s initial sessions on Monday.
No one at the South African Football Association (Safa) or within the Bafana technical ranks seemed willing or able to explain the reasons for the non-appearance of the two players, but a consensus of opinion that filtered around FNB Stadium was that the clubs of Zuma, who plays for German-based Arminia Bielefeld, and Van Heerden, who recently moved to Belgium’s Brugge, had refused permission to the players to attend Parreira’s camp.
Bafana media relations officer Gugu Marawa confirmed that Safa CEO Raymond Hack had sent a complaint to Fifa and had requested the world controlling body to take action in the matter.
But while the period in question has been declared by Fifa for international matches, thereby making it mandatory for clubs to release players for games, it was open to conjecture whether this ruling applied to training camps as well.
And further barring the Bafana camp of a degree of manpower on Tuesday was the fact that Mamelodi Sundowns’ Dillon Sheppard and Kaizer Chiefs’ Simphiwe Tshabalala had both been released from duty because of long-standing injuries — which made their selections in the first place a mystery.
A grain of comfort, in the circumstances, for both Bafana and Mamelodi Sundowns, was the fitness of goalkeeper Calvin Marlin, who was concussed in a Confederation of African Football Champions League game against Royal Leopards of Swaziland 10 days ago and missed Sundowns’ Premier Soccer League match against Kaizer Chiefs this past weekend. — Sapa