A distraught Moeneeb Josephs has retired from international football because he does not believe he is being given a fair opportunity to fight Itumeleng Khune for the Bafana number one goalkeeping spot.
The reason behind Josephs’ astonishing move was revealed on Tuesday by his close friend and teammate Benni McCarthy, who added that the 32-year-old keeper was reduced to tears by the difficulty of his decision.
While his Pirates teammates Andile Jali, Siyabonga Sangweni and Oupa Manyisa have already travelled with Bafana to Phokeng to begin preparations for the upcoming 2014 World Cup qualifiers, Josephs was with the rest of the Buccaneers squad on Tuesday on a treble trophy tour of Joburg and Soweto.
“Slimkat” point-blank refused to discuss the reasons for his withdrawal, walking away from one television interview. And it was left to McCarthy to shed light on the matter.
“Moeneeb is a great professional and if I was in his situation I would have done the same thing,” said McCarthy.
“You do everything possible to fight for the number one spot, but you know yourself you are never going to get the number one, because it’s fairly clear it’s Itumeleng Khune.
“He’s (Khune) a great goalkeeper who’s worked hard and put himself there… (but) in this country there are a lot of great goalkeepers and you have to make it open for everyone to fight for the number one. It’s clearly not like that, it’s plain to see that the manager has his ideas of who is the number one, irrespective of other great goalkeepers around.
“So, in an act of frustration, it happens (you retire) when you get to 30 and you feel you are not achieving your goals, it is better to continue to do what makes you happy, to play football, club football.
“I think it’s sad he has pulled out of the national team, he’s an absolute gem.”
McCarthy added that Josephs had been deeply upset while discussing the decision with his friend.
“He is my roommate and he was asking me for my input, and I said ‘You are on your own, I don’t want to advise you, make your decision, and whatever you decide I am behind you’. When he explained his reasons the man just broke down crying.
“I tried to put myself in his shoes, and if I was in his shoes I would have done exactly the same thing. If I feel I am doing more than enough to at least earn a chance to be number one, and I am not being selected as the number one striker… I would pull myself out of the race as well.
“I understand Moeneeb’s issues and hopefully it will work out for the best, and people won’t hate him.
“He’s been there now for a good couple of years, and you get to the stage where you say if it is not making you happy, you have to seek other options. It’s a sad moment to see one of our best ’keepers pull out of crucial World Cup qualification matches, but now other young goalkeepers have an opportunity.”
The South African Football Association revealed on Tuesday that Josephs had requested a meeting with Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane to explain his decision.
“Mosimane has asked the player to pen a letter himself to explain the situation, before meeting him. The technical team is expected to make a decision on the way forward once they have received the letter from Josephs,” added a Safa statement.
Josephs, who turned 32 as Orlando Pirates won the league title on Saturday, made his debut for Bafana against Zimbabwe way back in July 2003, making his most recent appearance in a 2-1 defeat to Zimbabwe in Harare in November 2011.
A total of 22 caps, however, are indicative of only sporadic appearances in the number one jersey.
Another trigger for Joseph’s distress may lie in the fact that after consecutive appearances against the Ivory Coast and Zimbabwe at the end of last year, it was Itumeleng Khune who came straight back into the starting line-up upon his return from injury in the Nelson Mandela Challenge against Senegal at the end of February.
Meanwhile, Santos striker Eleazar Rodgers has also withdrawn from the Bafana squad for the upcoming qualifiers, so that he can represent the People’s Team in the relegation/promotion play-offs. - The Star