Lebo Phiri dumbfounded by stalling Bafana career

The 28-year-old, who is on loan at Paris FC from Turkish Super League outfit Rizespor, hasn’t been part of the national team set-up since he featured in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Sudan under Molefi Ntseki three years ago. 

Despite a decade at the highest level in Europe, there appears to be no room for him at Bafana now that Belgian is in charge.  

What irks Phiri is that, when he had hit a purple patch, that much-anticipated Bafana call never came. 

"When it comes to the national team, it's always been a love-hate type of relationship. I think I've played abroad [for] 10 years and I've gotten a minimal amount of call-ups," said Phiri.

"If we have to speak about caps, it's... yeah. To me, in terms of my career, I think it's atrocious. It's something that... I shouldn't be accepting. And I believe I've done my level best.

"I've performed so much on so many levels over the years and, from a very young age, I was a competitor in all the teams that I played. I was in the starting line-up irrespective of the division that I played in."

"Maybe at this point in my career, I'm not a player the coach needs, he needs other players. We just need to support that. But at times, I've felt like I was on form, performing and doing my level best – I was amongst the best, if not the best.

"I believe that I was supposed to get call-ups, which I didn't. So, that's why it comes back to the first statement I made – the national team and I have a love-hate relationship. I'd love to be there but I hate that I don't get the opportunities that I deserve to be part of it."