Mninawa Ntloko
10 November 2009
Johannesburg — INCENSED national team coach Carlos Alberto Parreira yesterday put his foot down and dropped Mamelodi Sundowns bad boy Mabhuti Khenyeza from the Bafana Bafana squad after the unpredictable player failed to join the camp on Sunday evening as agreed.
Khenyeza's petulant behaviour may have cost him a place in the Soccer World Cup, as Parreira indicated after his arrival in SA last week that he would not tolerate players who showed disrespect to the national team jersey, and would show them the door.
On a day when the enfant terrible of South African soccer, Benni McCarthy, defied expectations and joined the camp on time, Khenyeza infuriated Parreira so much that the Brazilian was not prepared to accept the player's explanation, even when Sundowns official Trott Moloto tried to plead his case.
Khenyeza was supposed to join the Bafana camp on Sunday evening after playing for Sundowns in a league match against Golden Arrows on Saturday. National team manager Sipho Nkumane said they frantically searched for the player when he failed to arrive as scheduled.
While the rest of the Sundowns team returned to Johannesburg on Sunday, Khenyeza stayed behind in Durban -- his hometown -- and only flew back yesterday morning.
"We tried to get hold of him on Sunday to check his whereabouts, but he was not answering his phone all day," Nkumane said.
"We left many messages on his phone, but he did not respond to any of them. If he had a problem, he should have had the courtesy to inform us and we would not have had this whole situation."
Nkumane said they were astounded when they were told that Khenyeza was seen at training with his team-mates at Sundowns yesterday morning, while they were trying to get hold of him. Only after the Downs training session did Khenyeza finally decide to go to the Bafana camp.
Following a meeting that was arranged by Nkumane, a peeved Parreira did not accept the excuses given by the Downs duo -- Khenyeza and Moloto -- and the Brazilian took the decision to drop the increasingly troublesome player from the squad with immediate effect.
His place was taken by Arrows striker Richard Henyekane.
Sundowns spokesman Alex Shakoane said they were shocked when they heard that Khenyeza had been dropped from the squad. But the motormouth official could not explain why Khenyeza ignored the numerous calls and messages sent to him by the Bafana camp.
"I really have no idea why he did not answer his phone or respond to the messages," Shakoane said.
While Khenyeza hogged all the headlines, McCarthy quietly slipped into the country almost unnoticed yesterday morning and joined a squad he unceremoniously dumped in March. McCarthy's arrival ended days of speculation over whether he would honour his call-up to the national team after Parreira extended an olive branch to him.
Bafana host Japan in Port Elizabeth on Saturday, and Nkumane confirmed that the controversial Blackburn Rovers striker was immediately whisked away for fitness tests as soon as he landed yesterday.
"All the players had to undergo fitness tests that the national team physical trainer will use to prepare a programme for Parreira when he runs his training camp in January next year."
Nkumane said most of the players were already in camp and only five were still outstanding by late yesterday afternoon.
The Belgium-based duo of Bernard Parker and Anele Ngcongca were expected last night together with Russia-based Macbeth Sibaya.
Fulham midfielder Kagiso Dikgacoi is expected today, while Tsepo Masilela will be the last player to arrive in camp tomorrow.
Sundowns defender Siboniso Gaxa was withdrawn from the Bafana squad after sustaining an injury and he was replaced by Ajax Cape Town midfielder Lance Davis.
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