Johannesburg - Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has threatened to take St. Louis City to Fifa if Njabulo Blom doesn’t report for camp next week, but plays for the club during the Fifa break.
Having joined City late last year, Blom recently started the first two games of the season for his new club - coached by countryman Bradley Carnell – as they beat Austin and Charlotte respectively.
But Blom didn’t make the squad in their recent game against Portland amid Bafana’s final squad announcement for the back-to-back Afcon qualifiers against Liberia this month.
This led to Broos contacting the club, prior to the announcement, on the unavailability of the versatile midfielder for that game. But he received an unconvincing response despite continuing to name Blom in the final squad.
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— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) March 17, 2023
Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has lashed out at US Major League Soccer outfit St Louis City for withholding information on midfielder Njabulo Blom’s availability ahead of next week’s crucial #AFCON qualifiers against Liberia.#SABCSportFootball pic.twitter.com/qnMH0kIxdp
“We immediately made contact with St. Louis (after he didn't play) and asked: ‘What’s happening?’ And they said ‘he’s sick’. He is sick with what? But they didn’t answer," Broos said.
“So we had contact with Njabulo. And he said: ‘Yah, I don’t feel so good. I think I have Covid-19.’ I said: ‘Do a test and then we’ll see whether you have Covid-19 (or not).
“But today is Thursday, and I am speaking on a matter from Tuesday already. Yesterday, we got an email from St. Louis at 5pm that the coaches and medical staff were discussing the situation of Blom.”
By the time Broos announced his 23-man squad at the SABC studios, it had been 20 hours since he heard from the US-based side.
“I am not nervous, I am angry! This is not correct. They should tell us, this is the problem and he has Covid-19. Okay. (And then) we have to change,” Broos said.
With City set to be in action during the two-week Fifa break against Real Salt Lake, Broos suspects that the team wants to keep him in the US for that game.
“But when the situation is not clear, you start to think about things that are not there. But I saw that in America there are league games on the 26th. (And) they (City will) play,” Broos said.
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“The team of (Bongokuhle) Hlongwane (Minnesota) is also playing, (but he’ll be available for camp). But I am afraid that they are trying to keep Njabulo there.”
So what happens if Blom doesn’t show up for camp on Monday, but plays for City against the Lakes?
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"But that will not happen, we know the rules. So the correct reason is that he’ll not play with them because then we’ll go to Fifa (if he plays),” Broos said. “I am very angry with that.”
Should Blom fail to show up for Bafana’s camp, Broos said he’ll replace him with Orlando Pirates’ Miguel Timm who was in the provisional 35-man squad.
IOL Sport