Johannesburg- The South African Football Association (SAFA) is headed for a collision course with Egyptian champions Al Ahly, who are reportedly threatening not to release Percy Tau for the important 2022 World Cup qualifiers against Ethiopia next month.
Reports emanating from Cairo are that the African club champions will not release the former Mamelodi Sundowns forward after he returned from a Bafana Bafana camp with an injury. He is recovering from a thigh injury he suffered in the match against Ghana.
Tau is yet to make his debut for Al Ahly, which is coached by Pitso Mosimane.
Bafana coach Hugo Broos named Tau in his squad that will face Ethiopia in back-to-back matches.
A medical update from Al Ahly has revealed that by the time the Ethiopia match comes around, Tau will have fully recovered, but the Egyptians are not content with the idea of risking the player that they have forked out millions of dollars for. This will open another can of worms of club versus country debacle.
SAFA CEO Tebogo Motlanthe said that the association’s chief medical officer, Dr Thulani Ngwenya, was liaising with the Al Ahly medical team to determine the player’s progress and availability.
SAFA spokesperson Dominic Chimhavi said: “There’s nothing official. We are not going to react to media reports. Fifa has standing rules that need to be respected and I don’t see any part breaching those rules. If Percy is fully fit and the coach wants him to play, I do not see Al Ahly going against that. They are a professional side that respects Fifa rules. We need all our players because these games against Ethiopia are very important to qualify for the Fifa World Cup in Qatar 2022.”
Tau left English Premiership Brighton and Hove Albion side after he struggled for game time and since there was little hope of him breaking into the starting eleven. The contract with Al Ahly is reported to be in the region of R32-million.
The Egyptian bosses are very hands on and feisty when it comes to the club. So, SAFA can expect a grueling exchange with them.
Meanwhile, Banyana Banyana are inundated with invites from top countries in the world after their trailblazing performance at the Aisha Buhari tournament this past week.
Banyana players have also attracted a lot of interest from overseas scouts. This is a major boost for SAFA.
Banyana defeated the Super Falcons of Nigeria 4-2 to win the inaugural Aisha Buhari Cup in Lagos midweek. The girls’ improving fortunes on the world scene should bolster the quest for sponsors to come on board and inject funds in the country’s women’s football.
“Yes, there has been a lot of interest from the continent and abroad. The girls are improving every year and they are doing a fantastic job. They are going to be playing against some of the best teams in the world and this will test them,” said Chimhavi.
Sasol and Hollywoodbets have been at the forefront in terms of making sure that women’s football projects are not stagnant. SAFA and Sasol are still negotiating the renewal of their partnership that has been in place for 12 years.
Said SAFA president Danny Jordaan after the tournament in Nigeria: “Even the Fifa delegation that attended the match was left speechless by the performance of Banyana Banyana.”
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