Bafana’s ‘bad boy’ is back

Based purely on his ability, Thulani Serero’s recall to the Bafana Bafana squad for the vital upcoming clash with Nigeria has to be welcomed.

This is a player, after all, who is one of a handful of South Africans playing regularly at a high level of European football, in the Dutch Eredivisie, and whose talent and versatility is, on paper anyway, an asset to any squad.

And yet, it is hard to look at Stuart Baxter’s decision to recall the 28-year-old yesterday without a decent degree of cynicism.

This is, after all, a player who was banned by the South African Football Association earlier this year, after refusing to join Baxter’s squad for two World Cup qualifiers against Senegal last November, unless he was guaranteed game-time.

“He gave the indication to ... Barney (Kujane, Bafana’s team manager) that if he is not going to play he does not want to come to camp,” Baxter said at the time.

“Because this is a national team and not a club, this is not a place where we can guarantee people places, if he does not feel that it’s an honour enough to be called to the national team camp, then he may as well stay where he is. Whether that’s permanent I don’t know.”

And these were Safa CEO Dennis Mumble’s words, on confirming that Serero was banned: “”I can tell you now that those who continue to disrespect the national team will not be considered for selection in future matches. We can’t continue to tolerate that kind of an attitude,” Mumble told iol.co.za.

“It is not the first time he has disrespected the national team, and he is not going to be called to the national team again.

“It is not only Serero, but all those who continue to misbehave when they are called to represent the country.”

As Mumble said, Serero had previously had the tag of troublemaker with Bafana.

In October 2013, he was kicked out of the Bafana Bafana camp by then coach Gordon Igesund, who claimed he had asked not to start in a 2014 World Cup qualifier against Botswana.

“The truth is that for the entire week Serero never came to us and said he was injured. It’s true that he never faked injury, and we never said he did.

“What he did was to tell our doctor that he doesn’t want to play because he’s got a big match coming up,” Igesund told the media at the time.

And so we have a player with a notoriously dubious attitude, recalled to the Bafana squad suddenly by Baxter, a coach he had snubbed.

Perhaps there is an element of forgive and forget in the Bafana coach’s decision, and perhaps Serero has changed his attitude in the last year or so.

Then again, this is also a decision that smacks of expedience. Bafana have a midfield injury crisis right now, with Bongani Zungu, Keagan Dolly, Kamohelo Mokotjo and Dean Furman all out of the reckoning.

They have also had slipups in Africa Cup of Nations qualifying, with draws at home to Libya and away to the Seychelles, though it would still be a disaster if they did not manage to make it to Cameroon 2019.

It is all hands on deck for Baxter, and more in light of this than any changes of heart, it is easy to see why he has recalled Serero, a player who will certainly add experience and class against the Super Eagles at the FNB Stadium.

This is, of course, provided his attitude is right and he actually does want to play for his country again. After his shenanigans, the public have every right to question such motives.