Bafana 'bad boys' to face formal charges, says Safa

FOUR players – Oupa Manyisa, Thabo Matlaba, Teko Modise and S'thembiso Ngcobo – are to be charged by the South African Football Association for bunking the recent Bafana Bafana tour of Australia and New Zealand.

A letter has been sent to the clubs of the four – champions Mamelodi Sundowns, Bidvest Wits and Orlando Pirates – informing them of the charges in what will be an unprecedented move in South African football.

"The process is in motion," Safa spokesman Dominic Chimhavi said yesterday.

All four players pulled out of the Bafana squad for the recent friendlies against Australia and New Zealand after informing Safa they were injured.

"Even if a player is injured, the correct protocol is that after being called up, he must present himself for an examination by the team doctor. None of the players showed up," Chimhavi said.

Manyisa and Matlaba are thought to have pulled out to go on holiday. They were among the original call-ups made by coach Gordon Igesund who saw 11 players withdraw after selection.

But Modise and Ngcobo, who were replacement call-ups as Igesund got increasingly desperate, clearly rejected the call because they were annoyed at being overlooked originally.

Modise, in fact, played for Sundowns on a trip to Namibia just days after saying no to Bafana.

There is still no clarity from Safa on the exact terms of the charges, because they are something of a rarity.

There is no charge for Kermit Erasmus, who pulled put because he had already booked a holiday to the Netherlands, where he previously played.

South Africa ran into criticism from the Australian media for bringing a second-string squad for their World Cup farewell match in Sydney but Bafana held the Brazil-bound Socceroos 1-1.

Bafana then had plenty of chances to record a 150th away win but fluffed the opportunity in a goalless draw in Auckland against New Zealand.

This flexing of muscle by Safa will be seen as a bid to deliver a sharp message to players about picking and choosing which international assignments.

Faking injury has long been a tactic used by players, usually under pressure from their clubs, to avoid national team commitments and by under-pressure players to pull out of Bafana matches. - Mark Gleeson