BAFANA STARS SHUNTED BACK
Overseas-based stars in stalemate
THREE overseas-based Bafana Bafana players will reluctantly return to their clubs at the beginning of the new season.
The players are Bafana captain Steven Pienaar, who was signed by English Premier club Everton but later caught the attention of Tottenham Hotspur in 2011.
This turned out to be a nightmare for Pienaar as he was not given enough game time at the North London club.
Spurs loaned him out back to Everton, where he regained his magical scoring form. This made Spurs change their minds and now want him back next season.
“His face darkens at the mere mention of him returning to Spurs,” said a source at the Bafana camp this week.
“Steven is enjoying his game at Everton. Now that they saw what he is capable of, he [could] become their regular player.”
When asked about his pending move back to North London, the midfielder said he had a contract with Spurs.
To say defender Bongani Khumalo is also miserable at Spurs would be an understatement. His long-cherished dream of playing soccer at high-level in England evaporated into thin air.
He was shipped to unfashionable side Preston North End, who failed to get the best out of his talent as one of the leading defenders in the country. He tried his luck with Reading, who also could not get the best out of him. Now he is going back to the team which shunted him from one team to the other.
Chances are that he will try his luck in Asian countries.
It will be like taking a step down in class for one of the country’s most skilful defenders,
Tsepo Masilela, who must leave one of the Spanish teams, Getafe, where he was on loan and returns to his club in Israel, Maccabi Haifa, for the new season.
On the local front, Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates have pulled out of the race for the rapidly rising defender Eric Mathoho, but Kaizer Chiefs are still pursuing him.
A highly placed source at Chloorkop said: “We made him a healthy offer but he seemed to have bowed to pressure from certain people.”
Meanwhile, Chiefs boss Kaizer Motaung said they have spoken to Mathoho and were now “waiting for his club to come back” to them.