Although Lyle Foster of Burnley has returned to action following his recovery from an undisclosed mental health issue, he has not been included in the South Africa 2024 Africa Cup of Nations roster.
The 23-year-old made his Premier League debut on Tuesday against Liverpool, but South Africa has ignored the forward’s recommendation in favor of following Burnley manager Vincent Kompany’s counsel.
Hugo Broos, the South Africa coach, received a message from Kompany saying, “Lyle is not in a position to join South Africa for the Cup of Nations and cannot be traveling around the world at this stage.”
Another setback for Bafana Bafana (The Boys) ahead of their Group E games in the Ivory Coast against Mali, Namibia, and Tunisia is the injury of forward Lebo Mothiba of Strasbourg.
The physically commanding 27-year-old will be out for several months after suffering a knee injury in a recent French Ligue 1 match.
The only South Africans who are players in the top five European leagues are Foster and Mothiba.
Six strikers were chosen by Belgian Broos, who led Cameroon to victory in the 2017 Cup of Nations. Of the 23 players in the team, four were from the country, one was based in Egypt, and one was in Cyprus.
At this month’s annual CAF awards presentation, Percy Tau, an African football player with the African powerhouse Al Ahly in Cairo, was awarded the best player based in Africa.
The son of former South Africa forward Patrick Mayo, Khanyiso Mayo, did not make the cut even though he spent several seasons scoring regularly in the top domestic league.
Themba Zwane, a 34-year-old wide attacker who was long absent from the national team due to Broos’ belief that he was too old, has been called up for the tournament that takes place from January 13 to February 11.
South Africa will warm up at the academic town of Stellenbosch in the western Cape, play a practice match against Lesotho in Pretoria on January 10, and then take a flight to Abidjan the next day.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Ricardo Goss (SuperSport Utd), Veli Mothwa (AmaZulu), Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Defenders: Grant Kekana, Terrence Mashego, Aubrey Modiba, Khuliso Mudau, Mothobi Mvala (all Sundowns), Sydney Mobbie (Sekhukhune Utd), Nkosinathi Sibisi (Orlando Pirates), Siyanda Xulu (SuperSport)
Midfielders: Thapelo Maseko, Teboho Mokoena, Thapelo Morena (all Sundowns), Jayden Adams (Stellenbosch), Thabang Monare (Pirates), Sphephelo Sithole (Tondela/POR)
Forwards: Zakhele Lepasa, Evidence Makgopa (both Pirates), Oswin Appollis (Polokwane City), Mihlali Mayambela (Aris Limassol/CYP), Percy Tau (Al Ahly/EGY), Themba Zwane (Sundowns)