Igesund reacts to Pienaar decision
BAFANA Bafana coach Gordon Igesund was yesterday unfazed by Steven Pienaar’s dramatic resignation from national duties, maintaining the team needed to soldier on without their talismanic captain as they eye next year’s African Nations Cup.
Naming his squad for this month’s friendlies against Poland and Kenya, Igesund first produced a letter from Pienaar, in which the Everton midfielder confirmed he was quitting the national side with immediate effect, citing fatigue as his main reason.
“We have to move on,” Igesund stressed. “I have not spoken to him but I have accepted (his retirement). He’s far from our thoughts now. We have to give him space and respect his decision. He says his body is tired and there’s little we can do about that. We wish him all the best. He gave Bafana 10 years of good service. Good luck to him, good luck to Everton. But this situation does not affect Bafana.”
Pienaar’s decision came as surprise to Igesund, who, after taking over as national coach, took the trouble of phoning the midfielder to assure him he would remain Bafana captain in spite of speculation that he would be dumped.
“There was never an issue regarding the captaincy,” Igesund responded when asked if his mutterings about Pienaar being affected by captaining Bafana may have led the player to mistrust his regime.
“I spoke to him and made it clear that he was the captain. This issue (captaincy) was only an issue for the media.
Pienaar, 30, missed Igesund’s first camp last month, citing a mysterious injury reported to the SA Football Association a day after he had played a full game for Everton and on the eve of SA’s departure for Brazil, but Igesund still defended him, reasoning he had seen “scans” which confirmed the “injury”.
Capped 57 times, Pienaar made his Bafana debut on the eve of World Cup 2002, and was elevated to captain after the 2010 World Cup. Igesund confirmed Bongani Khumalo would now wear the armband on a full-time basis.
While the Pienaar issue dominated yesterday’s press conference, Igesund’s squad also had some glaring additions and omissions.