Figareido out of Libya clash
THE Nation’s pride Sihlangu will suffer a major blow as international player Justice Figareido is ruled out of the opening two World Cup qualifiers against Libya and Cape Verde.
The Richards Bay FC player has not reported for camp at the Eswatini Football Association (EFA) technical Centre in Lobamba despite being the only international player who was called up by head coach Dominic Kunene.
The senior national side will take on Libya on Friday at Mbombela Stadium before taking on Cape Verde on November 22 at the same venue.
A source close to the matter revealed that the player has not fully recovered from the ankle injury which ruled him out of the recent international friendly matches against Bafana Bafana and Botswana.
“The player is still in the rehabilitation process and he has not fully recovered from his injury. He is likely to miss his national team’s World Cup qualifiers. The Richards Bay FC Management Committee will make the final decision on Wednesday,” the source said.
The player could not be reached for comment on the matter at the time of compiling this report. He had also missed five matches for Richards Bay United due to the injury.
EFA Marketing and Communications Officer Muzi Radebe said he was still to get updates from the ongoing camp from
Dominic Kunene when contacted.
“I am yet to get updates from the camp from the head coach and I can be in a better position to comment once I get something official,” he said.
The former Denver Sundowns player has previously played for several South African teams such as Maritzburg United, TS Galaxy, Mbombela United and All-Stars in the neighbouring country.