By Paul Nicholson
January 3 – South Africa, hosts of the African Nations Championship (Chan) that kicks off January 11, face the embarrassment of not being able to get all their own first choice players on to the pitch for Bafana Bafana as leading club Kaiser Chiefs are refusing to release five players.
The 16 team Chan tournament is played across four venues and will complete February 1 with the final in Cape Town. The championship, in its third edition, was originally scheduled to be hosted in Libya before security concerns led to a switch to South Africa.
However, the competition is not recognised by FIFA as being a mandatory event for the release of players from their club sides.
Kaiser Chiefs have said that their players would not be available for the first two weeks of the tournament while they complete their league season and their attempt to retain their championship title.
The club’s football manager Bobby Motaung said on the club’s website that they will only release their players after they have played Mamelodi Sundowns in what will likely be the Absa Premiership decider in Pretoria on January 23.
In contrast Mamelodi Sundowns have said they will be releasing players for the South African national team.
Bafana Bafana met this week for pre-tournament training without the Kaiser Chiefs players. If the club maintains its refusal to release players, they will miss the country’s three first round matches against Mozambique, Mali and Nigeria in Cape Town.
This effectively rules the players out for the three first round matches against Mozambique, Mali and Nigeria in Cape Town as well as the preparations, due to start on Thursday.
Originally what seemed like a last-minute deal was struck between the clubs and the South African FA on December 23 bringing the Kaiser Chiefs vs Mamelodi Sundowns league match forward from January 28 to January 23 to enable their players to get back to their clubs during a break in the Chan tournament.
Mamelodi Sundowns issued a statement agreeing to the arrangement, but Kaiser Chiefs have take a different stance.
“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 23rd January 2014,” said Motaung.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1734800119labto1734800119ofdlr1734800119owedi1734800119sni@n1734800119osloh1734800119cin.l1734800119uap1734800119