Pirates banish Saleng to the wilderness after stellar showing for Bafana Bafana

Very often when the national team is due to play, the 'club versus country' wrangles surface but Bafana Bafana's African Nation Championship qualifier CHAN team has been hit by a player versus club battle.

Following a warning by CAF boss Patrice Motsepe who threatened to ban SAFA if they failed to play the CHAN, the second-tier CAF competition, a Bafana team was entered for the qualifying round. Since the PSL clubs won't release players because of club commitments, SAFA scoured the country for players not used by their clubs.

This way SAFA would not incur the wrath of PSL clubs, who have a history of making life a misery for the national team, Bafana. In the past, clubs refused to release players for national team duty for various reasons and on occasions it was found out that the clubs were being dishonest.

This time, however, the Bafana team chasing CHAN qualification are caught up in a club versus player dogfight. The 26-year-old Orlando Pirates winger Monnapule Saleng was selected for Bafana’s (CHAN) against Egypt in Bloemfontein last week.

Class is permanent

Even though he has not played this year, Saleng's lack of game time did not prevent him from showing why he is still one of South Africa’s most formidable wingers. He shook off his markers to land shots which constantly threatened the opposition’s goal.

He managed a spectacular scoring effort, with an aecrobatic dive, to head the ball past Egypt's goalkeeper but the effort was nullified because he was adjudged to be offside. This effort coming late in last week's first leg clash would have given Bafana well-deserved victory over the visiting 'Pharaohs'.

Throughout the match, Saleng looked happy as he set about a workmanlike performance. Based on this showing, Saleng selected himself for the second leg against Egypt on Sunday, and this raised a great sense of anticipation amongst Bafana supporters.

Alas, Bafana's stand-in coach Molefi Ntseki said he had to release Saleng and his Pirates teammate Azola Tshobeni, as well as two other players. Saleng has not played a match for Pirates ince November. Although Pirates have withdrawn him from the Bafana Bafana squad, he is unlikely to be part of Saturday's match-day squad to play SuperSport United in a Nedbank Cup quarter-final.

It is not known, at least officially, what is at the heart of the Pirates-Saleng impasse, but his club has decided he won't have the platform again to showcase his talent. This will rob Bafana of a lethal weapon in Sunday's second-leg clash at Suez Canal Stadium, in Ismailia, Egypt.

By sidelining him since the start of the year, Saleng must have incurred the wrath of Pirates, who were unable to halt the player's slide from grace. Whatever the problem was, it should have been addressed by Pirates who should have systems in place to offer solutions and strengthen the squad.

Instead of trying to solve the conflict, Pirates have opted to further punish the player by banishing him to the wilderness yet again!