Safa and Sundowns at loggerheads over Siyabonga Mabena’s U17 call-up

Duncan Crowie, the Amajimbos head coach, last month announced a 30-man squad expected to assemble several weeks later to prepare for the youth Afcon in Algeria. 

The competition is from 29 April until 19 May. 

Mabena was named in the provisional team to be cut down to 21 on Saturday, but his spot in the final team now hangs in the balance according to sources because MRI scans are scheduled for Friday. 

Crowie wanted to see his entire pool of players, which includes seven of the overseas-based contingent, in camp before making the final call on who will travel to the continental tournament to face Nigeria, Morocco and Zambia in Group B. 

The rest of the selected players arrived in dribs and drabs since Monday from the popular Bayhill Premier Cup in Cape Town with others coming from England, Holland and Spain where they play their football. 

Crowie had picked four Sundowns players – strikers Mabena and Bennet Sithole as well as defenders Vincent Sithole and Thato Sibiya. 

However, Mabena has not reported for camp and is understood to have been held back by the club with the intention to have him available against Golden Arrows in the DStv Premiership, a game that was played on Wednesday night in Durban.

Information gathered by SABC Sport indicates that the Brazilians did ask for a compromise to allow Mabena to only join the national team on his return back from eThekwini, and this proposal has neither been rejected nor approved by Safa. 

They believe their decision was in the best interest of the player. 

Mabena, still only 16, has so far made three appearances for the Sundowns senior team, including his cameo off the bench on Wednesday night. 

The Brazilians face Stellenbosch FC in the Nedbank Cup quarterfinals on Sunday and as things stand Mabena is likely to travel with the team to Cape Town unless the two parties can find a solution. 

But that also depends on Crowie, who has not been able to monitor Mabena from close proximity even though he knows what the forward is capable off – the youngster was the Player of the Tournament during the Cosafa Cup late last year. 

This latest development will lead to questions over coach Rulani Mokwena’s recent comments of wanting to see Downs’ youth players selected for the national team within their age groups just as he raised concerns over Cassius Mailula called-up for Bafana Bafana when, the coach felt, the U23 side needed him more. 

Crowie has said before that he considers Mabena a crucial player for the U17 side, but it could be seen as unfair to name him in the final team when he was not part of the training camp assembled before.