Baxter to meet overseas-based players in bid to strengthen Bafana
STUART Baxter is heading overseas this week to talk to prospective future Bafana Bafana internationals to scope options to strengthen the national team.
His primary mission will be in Italy, where he will meet with Roodepoort-born Joel Untersee‚ 23, who is back at Italian giants and Uefa Champions League runner-up Juventus, after spending the past season on loan at Serie B outfit Brescia.
But he was also to meet players in Portugal and Norway‚ SA Football Association (Safa) chief executive Dennis Mumble said yesterday. Untersee has been named in Juventus’ preseason squad for the 2017-18 season after making 39 appearances for Brescia last season.
He has represented Switzerland at every level of junior football from U15 to the U21s – but has not yet made a senior national team appearance, meaning he can still play for South Africa.
As Untersee was born in Johannesburg‚ he is entitled to immediate South African citizenship and can therefore be eligible to play for Bafana.
But because he has played for the Swiss at junior level‚ he must first apply to world football governing body Fifa to change his international ability. But that is usually a simple process.
Untersee joined the Juventus youth academy in 2011 and has been part of the preseason squads for the first teams on a number of occasions since‚ only to then be loaned out.
He spent almost three seasons with FC Vaduz in the Swiss league and then played at Brescia‚ with more than 100 senior team appearances across the clubs.
Safa last year expressed its desire to cast a wider net in the hunt for fresh talent for the national team‚ which led to the callup of Dutch-born Lars Veldwijk.
But Baxter has no plans‚ as yet‚ to try and persuade Andrew Surman‚ 30.
Born in Johannesburg‚ he is on the books of Bournemouth and is a former England U21 international. When Surman was previously at Southampton, he had turned down a request to play for SA.
But as the only South African in the English Premier League‚ having competed in 60 league games over the last two seasons‚ it would seem worthwhile checking whether he has not had a change of heart.
Meanwhile, Bafana’s chances of playing in the African Nations Cup finals were handed a 50% boost with the confirmation by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) that the top two teams in each group will qualify for the new expanded tournament in 2019. Previously, only the winner and the three best runners-up in the 12 qualifying groups were set to qualify.
But after Caf decided the finals would be expanded to 24 teams instead of 16‚ it was confirmed that two in each of the 12 qualifying groups advance – except Group B, where host Cameroon are in and are guaranteed a place in the finals as the hosts.
South Africa compete in Group E with Libya‚ Nigeria and the Seychelles and with an away win over the Super Eagles already under their belt‚ Bafana have to virtually implode not to make the list.