Pienaar Out of Taifa Stars Tie

Tanzania Daily News (Dar es Salaam)

Egbert Mkoko

1 May 2011

Grahamstown — SOUTH Africa’s Bafana Bafana will miss most of its foreign based players when they play a friendly international match against Taifa Stars on May 14 at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam.

Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane confirmed on Sunday that Tottenham Hotspurs midfielder Steven Pienaar will not play against Tanzania. Bafana will also be without Orlando Pirates stars striker Thlou Segoleta and midfielder Andile Jaji, who are playing in the Nedbank Cup semi finals on the same weekend.

However, coach Mosimane who will name his squad this week, will be able to select most of the players that started against Egypt in the recent AFCON qualifier at the Ellis Park Stadium.

The country’s number one goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune, teammates Yeye Letsholonyane and Simphiwe Tshabalala, Morgan Gould, Siyanda Xulu, Mzuvukile Tom, Prince Hlela, Eric Mathoho, Thanduyise Khuboni, Siyabonga Sangweni and Katlego Mphela will be available for selection.

In addition, Bernard Parker has returned from Greece where he has been playing and currently training with AmaZulu and will also be available for the showdown against Taifa Stars – a team that is among the rising countries on the continent.

Mosimane said; “We have a crucial date with Egypt in Cairo for the African Nations Cup qualifier on June 3 and this match against Tanzania will come as a perfect tune-up for us ahead of that game.

“It goes without saying that if we win that game, we will be in a very good position to qualify for the 2012 Nations Cup in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. So this Tanzania game is crucial for us in our preparation for that clash and we will take our strongest possible squad for the match.”

Damas Ndumbaro, a local Fifa accredited match agent confirmed last week that he has finalised the deal with both the Tanzanian FA President Leodegar Tenga and the Safa CEO Pinky Lehoko for the staging of the match on the above date which has already been submitted to Fifa.

Safa President Kirsten Nematandani also confirmed that Bafana Bafana will play the “Taifa Stars” on the agreed date. It is not a Fifa date, but the PSL programme will be suspended due to the Nedbank Cup semifinals and the country seized an opportunity to give the national team much needed match practice.

For Bafana Bafana, this will be the side’s final game before they take on Egypt in Cairo on June 3 in their Group G 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. South Africa tops the group with seven points from three games following two wins and a draw.

The game will also serve as a final build up for Taifa Stars, who will also travel to Central African Republic for the AFCON qualifier second leg tie against the hosts on June 4. Stars are second in group D.

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