JOHANNESBURG - As Bafana Bafana’s prodigal sons return from a self-imposed exile from the national team, the two friendly matches lined up against Guinea-Bissau in Durban on March 25 and Angola three days later are not just about preparing for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers but also about making key players feel wanted.
Ideally, a new coach should face this challenge head-on, however, with the position still vacant, interim trainer Owen da Gama understands the significance of soothing the egos of those who were previously discarded under the Shakes Mashaba regime.
On Thursday, Da Gama brought back the forgotten men of South African football when naming a 25-man squad to play Guinea-Bissau and Angola. Kamohelo Mokotjo, the Holland-based midfielder whose public spat with Mashaba saw him called up only to sit in the stands, until he decided to “retire” in April last year, was included in the squad. So, too, was striker Kermit Erasmus, who famously tweeted that he was “not a back-up player” after Mashaba selected him as a last-minute replacement for Tokelo Rantie ahead of Bafana’s Cup of Nations qualifier against Gambia nearly two years ago. He did not honour the call-up.
Da Gama acknowledged that he might need a cup of coffee with the duo when they arrive for the two friendly matches.
“We want them to feel like professionals,” Da Gama explained. “Not to say they were not professional before, but they must leave their problems at home and come to work. We need to instil that culture in the team. We are not saying they don’t have it, but we want every player to feel they want to play for the team. We need to build a sense of togetherness.”
While Mashaba evidently ignored Mokotjo, despite him being one of the best players in the Dutch Eredivisie, where he is a key member of the FC Twente squad, Erasmus has only just settled in the French Premier League following his loan move from Rennes to Lens. He took to social media to express delight at his inclusion not long after Da Gama had announced the squad. Mokotjo, on the other hand, has a slightly complex conundrum, having recently taken up Dutch nationality, a process which needed him to renounce his status as a South African.
“Look, to be honest I did not know about that,” was Da Gama’s response when asked if he expected Mokotjo to report for duty. “I have not been in contact with Mokotjo yet, but I believe we have to do everything in our power to get him playing for the team again.”