Pirates look likely to qualify for the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League but this could lead to a selection headache for Bafana Bafana coach Gordon Igesund. Should Bucs reach the semi-finals they are likely to pull their players out of any friendly international matches scheduled for October 11-15 as they are happening three days before the Champions League semi-final second leg. Pirates need at least four points from their remaining three matches against Zamalek (away), AC Leopards (away) and Al Ahly (home) to qualify for the semi-final. Recently Roger de Sa had six players called up for the Nelson Mandela Challenge against Nigeria but all had to be withdrawn because of the Champions League clash against Zamalek scheduled just three days later. It is very likely that Pirates might be reluctant to release players for international duty for the October 11-15 Fifa dates. But good news for the Buccaneers is that Safa is yet to announce the Bafana opponents for the dates or infact whether Bafana will play at all. The next Bafana match is a crucial 2014 Fifa World Cup qualifier against Botswana on September 7 at Moses Mabhida Stadium which is not affected. The Champions League semi-final first-leg takes places on the same weekend as the Telkom Knockout Last 16 matches on October 5-6, so Bucs may have to also get that fixture rescheduled.
Posted on: Mon, 19 Aug 2013 05:49:01 +0000
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