Morris out of SA Confed Cup squad
Brad Morgan
5 June 2009
Bafana Bafana's trimmed-down squad for the Fifa Confederations Cup was announced in Johannesburg on Thursday. It featured one big surprise in the exclusion of defender Nasief Morris, and a smaller surprise in the inclusion of goalkeeper Brian Baloyi.
The other players to be axed from the SA squad, who thus also missed out on selection for the tournament which takes place from 14 to 28 June, were goalkeeper Moneeb Josephs, defender Mzuvukile Tom, midfielder Masilo Modubi, and forwards Thulasizwe Mbuyane and Siyabonga Nkosi.
Bafana Bafana coach Joel Santana will have an opportunity to run through his options one last time when South Africa takes on Poland in a friendly at Orlando Stadium in Soweto on Saturday before the kick-off of the Fifa Confederations Cup, which begins with a match against Iraq at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on 14 June.
South Africa are up five places in the latest Fifa World Rankings, in 72nd place, while Poland is ranked 39th.
Morris' omission
The omission of Morris from the South African Confederations Cup team has local football fans talking, and there are many questions that they want answered. Coach Santana said he would not address questions about Morris at the announcement of the team; he explained that he would talk about selected players only.
Different stories are doing the rounds about the defender. The Times reports that he joined the squad on Wednesday when he should have joined it on Tuesday, while Business Day claims insiders say Morris "suddenly became petulant almost overnight and 'became impossible to work with since arriving in camp'".
According to Kickoff, Santana, speaking through an interpreter, said Morris "did not follow the national team's code of conduct". The Brazilian claimed that the decision was not his, but had been taken by Bafana's technical team.
Comments by assistant coach Pitso Mosimane on SAfm, in which he praised Morris, suggested that the decision to leave out the Recreativo Huelva was not a unanimous one.
Morris' agent, Mike Makaab of Prosport International, will meet with the Bafana Bafana technical team to seek clarity on the omission of Morris.
Experience players axed
With Benni McCarthy having already been left out of the Pre-Confederations Cup squad, Santana has in a short space of time axed two of Bafana Bafana's more experienced players. McCarthy has 76 international caps to his name and is South Africa's all-time leading goal scorer, with 31 to his credit, while Morris has appeared in 36 internationals.
Striker Mabhuti Khenyeza was also axed two weeks ago, under controversial circumstances, after he failed to arrive for the Bafana Bafana camp.
According to Ajax Cape Town CEO John Comitis, Khenyeza requested the permission of the South African Football Association to arrive late because he was organising a tombstone for his brother. His request was granted, but that decision was later reversed, leaving the striker as a non-arrival for the camp.
Yet, according to Comitis, only 10 players arrived for camp on the first day, and only seven of them were able to actively participate in training.
Henyekane question
Another question that some are still is asking is why Golden Arrows' striker Richard Henyekane was not called up when Khenyeza was given the boot. Henyekane, after all, finished as the winner of the Golden Boot in the recently concluded PSL season, with 19 goals to his name.
As he has done in other cases, Santana has declined to answer questions about the Arrows' star.
The inclusion of Baloyi as one of the three goalkeepers was somewhat surprising. Since 2005, he has played only three times for South Africa, and at 35 years of age his career is nearing its end.
Josephs, who missed out, has played eight times since 2005 for Bafana and, at 29 years old, he is considerably younger than Baloyi.
No sacred cows
It appears that Santana has decided to take a hard line on discipline and there are no sacred cows in the Bafana Bafana squad. Whether the move pays off or backfires ultimately rests with the players themselves. Their reaction will clearly indicate whether or not they are on the same page as the coach.
With the Fifa World Cup suddenly only a year away, it's vitally important that the players demonstrate that they share in the coach's vision. If they don’t, one fears it is too late to build a team able to make some noise in Africa's first ever World Cup.
BAFANA BAFANA SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Brian Baloyi (Sundowns), Itumeleng Khune (Kaizer Chiefs), Rowen Fernandez (Arminia Bielefeld)
Defenders: Matthew Booth, Siboniso Gaxa (both Mamelodi Sundowns), Morgan Gould, Bongani Khumalo (both Supersport United), Tshepo Masilela (Maccabi Haifa), Bryce Moon (Panathinaikos), Aaron Mokoena (Portsmouth), Innocent Mdledle (Orlando Pirates)
Midfielders: Lance Davids (Supersport United), Kagisho Dikgacoi (Golden Arrows), Benson Mhlongo, Teko Modise (both Orlando Pirates), Siphiwe Tshabalala (Kaizer Chiefs), Steven Pienaar (Everton), MacBeth Sibaya (Rubin Kazan), Elrio van Heerden (Blackburn Rovers)
Strikers: Thembinkosi Fanteni (Maccabi Haifa), Katlego Mashego (Orlando Pirates), Katlego Mphela (Mamelodi Sundowns), Bernard Parker (Red Star Belgrade)
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