Baxter gets the bullet

BAFANA BAFANA coach Stuart Baxter is going to have to find new players to do duty for the national team in their Chan qualifier against Zambia.

This after Premiership clubs AmaZulu and SuperSport United said yesterday they are not going to release their selected players for the August 12 and 19 clashes with Chipolopolo.

On Monday, Baxter announced a his squad for the final leg of the qualifiers for the biennial tournament for local-based players that will take place in Kenya next year. The players are expected to report to camp on Sunday.

But SuperSport coach Eric Tinkler said his players are staying with the club.

“No, they won’t be joining Bafana.”

All four of Teboho Mokoena, Sipho Mbule, Cole Alexander, Denwin Farmer and Siyabonga Nhlapo have been called up.

But Tinkler found it strange that Farmer, for one, was even considered.

“Denwin is injured. He dislocated his shoulder. I don’t know why he was called up. But I am not releasing the other players.”

SuperSport face Kaizer Chiefs in an MTN8 match at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on the evening of the day Bafana play Zambia.

Ironically, Chiefs team manager Bobby Motaung confirmed that they would release Ryan Moon and Bruce Bavuma to the squad.

From AmaZulu, Baxter has called up Michael Morton, Boalefa Pule and Ayabulela Konqobe.

But manager Qedi Dlamini said the trio will not honour the call up.

“We have made the decision not to release our players. We have already told Morton and we will also inform other players.”

AmaZulu’s reasoning is that they have league commitments.

“We are playing Free State Stars at home on August 19 and these three players are key in our squad,” Dlamini explained “Morton and Pule are still new and they need to gel with their teammates. But how can they do that if they are in and out of the squad? We respect the national team but, on the other hand, we have to prepare ourselves proper for the new season.”

Because the Chan matches do not fall under the Fifa date, the clubs are not obliged to release players.

Efforts to get a comment from Safa proved futile with media man Dominic Chimhavi referring Independent Media to team manager Barney Kujane whose phone rang unanswered and messages left for him, were not returned.