Chiefs make a U-turn
‘ It is about satisfying both the club and the national interest
AFTER weeks of wrangling, South Africa’s squad for the African Nations Championship was finally complete yesterday as Kaizer Chiefs players belatedly arrived in the Cape Town camp, with Safa having secured their release at the weekend.
It has proved a triumph for the association, which essentially have no right to call up players for a tournament that does not fit into the Fifa calendar, and leaves Chiefs football manager Bobby Motaung in an embarrassing position after he twice said the Naturena club would not release their stars. It now leaves Motaung’s position at the club tenuous, as his father, club owner Kaizer Motaung, has twice had to overrule him after his son took to the media with strong statements.
Motaung had said there was no way Chiefs would release goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune, defenders Tsepo Masilela and Tefu Mashamaite, midfielder Siphiwe Tshabalala and striker Bernard Parker until the knockout stages of the Chan competition, which come after their January 23 PSL meeting with Mamelodi Sundowns.
When Bafana Bafana coach Gordon Igesund first sought the release of the five, Motaung was quick out the blocks to say the club would not heed the call.
This is a stance that went against an agreement made between his father and Safa during a Christmas Eve teleconference that included PSL chairman Irvin Khoza and Sundowns owner Patrice Motsepe.
Despite this, Bobby went back on the word of his father and said on New Year’s Day: “We have expressed our commitment to support the national team and hence we have written a letter to Safa indicating that we will release the players to the national team after our game against Mamelodi Sundowns taking place on January 23.
“This we suggested after considering all factors and agreements between Safa and the PSL, as well as the discussions that took place between the club chairmen and Safa on this matter. It is about satisfying both the club and the national interest.”
That then created a new crisis, finally solved on Saturday after further meetings between Safa and Chiefs, and has left Bobby Motaung with egg on his face for a second time.
His personal attack on Igesund, calling the coach lazy, accusing him of making a mockery of the country’s playing talent, questioning his competence for the job and suggesting that Igesund’s squad selection was an insult to South Africans, is also at odds with the manner in which Motaung snr conducts himself.
For his part, Igesund has remained tactful amid the controversy and went to great lengths on Saturday to thank all the PSL clubs – and especially Chiefs – for the release of the players for the tournament, admitting it came at a tough time for the clubs.
South Africa start their campaign with a match against Mozambique in Cape Town on Saturday, before further fixtures against Mali (January 15) and Nigeria (January 19) in the first round.