January 6 – The South African hosts of the African Nations Championship (Chan) which starts January 11, have been saved the embarrassment of playing without key players from top club Kaiser Chiefs after a last-minute agreement was reached between the club and the federation last Friday.
Kaiser Chiefs had twice refused to release players, wanting to hold on to players in advance of their deciding Premier Soccer League clash against title-rivals Mamelodi Sundowns, as well as keep them fresh for the start of the CAF Champions League.
An initial compromise was found only for the Kaiser Chiefs to then say they would only release their players after the league match against Mamelodi Sundowns, which would have meant the players would have missed South Africa’s three group games
South African Football Association (SAFA) CEO Dennis Mumble sent a warning to the Kaiser Chiefs in a TV interview after the second withdrawal, suggesting that the association may review their support of the club.
However, now SAFA and the club have agreed the players will be available with most of them joining the national team for pre-tournament training over the weekend.
“We are extremely grateful to Kaizer Chiefs for their continued patriotism in support of the national team,” said the SAFA president Danny Jordaan. “We have no doubt that with the inclusion of Kaizer Chiefs players in the national squad, the team will be significantly strengthened for the CHAN tournament.”
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