Issa leads Bafana rush
2005-12-26 22:31
Johannesburg - Safa officials looked on in disbelief on Monday as 22 of the 26 Bafana Bafana players - including controversially recalled Pierre Issa - who are earmarked for next month's African Nations Cup tournament signed up at their Johannesburg training headquarters.
"To have so many players in camp almost a month before the first cup game in Egypt," said Bafana coach Ted Dumitru, "is almost a phenomenon.
"Officials who have been with the squad for a long time were adamant they had never seen anything like it."
Four absentees
The four absentees were enigmatic Porto striker Benni McCarthy, who is reportedly in Cape Town attending to a serious family matter; in-form German-based Sibusiso Zuma, who has been playing for his Bundesliga team, Arminia Bielefeld; Bafana captain Aaron Mokoena, still required by English Premiership club Blackburn Rovers, and newcomer Asanda Sishuba, who is based with Belgium club Beringen-Heusden.
The only misgivings regarding the pending arrival of the remaining four players centre round an AFP report last week quoting McCarthy as saying he intended asking Safa to be relieved from playing in the African Cup because it could seriously disrupt his future with Porto.
"Personally I know nothing about this request," said Dumitru, "although I was aware that Benni had previously requested to be allowed to play for Porto during the Africa Cup."
Dumitru said he regarded the rumpus surrounding Issa as "a storm in a tea cup."
"Sure," he added, "there was a serious crossing of wires with our Greek connections about the timing of Issa's performances in Greece. And this, of course, was unfortunate.
"But everything I said he had achieved he has achieved - if not as recently as we had been led to believe."
Issa is showing good form
Dumitru said the most pertinent point surrounding the issue was that Issa was in the squad of 26 that still had to be reduced to the Fifa-stipulated 23 before the start of the Nations Cup.
"And it is the form he shows in training over the next two weeks that will be the criterion as to whether he goes to Egypt or not," added the Bafana coach.
"In the meantime," added Dumitru, "Issa was out training with the squad at the first training session on Monday and I was very impressed with the way he performed."
Bafana are due to play practice games against a composite PSL XI at Johannesburg Stadium on Thursday and in Durban on January 6, with a friendly international against hosts Egypt in Cairo on January 14.
- SAPA