Burnley FC forward, Lyle Foster has returned to the Bafana Bafana squad. Hugo Broos, the South Africa national team coach, named Foster in the provisional squad to play Nigeria and Zimbabwe in early June.
Bafana Bafana are due to play Nigeria in Uyo on the 7th and Zimbabwe at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on the 11th of June. The South Africans are in a dog fight with Nigeria, Benin, Lesotho, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe for a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Foster asked to be excluded from the squad that won bronze at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations in January. His self-exclusion was due to mental issues that he wanted to deal with at the time. Hugo Broos and many South Africans were puzzled and at times angered when Foster continued to turn up for Burnley during his self-imposed exile from the national team. His club coach, Vincent Kompany has had Foster’s back throughout the ordeal.
“How he processed his situation was very, very mature for a young individual in the end. I think we’ve all learned through experiencing this with him,” Kompany Premier League Inside Matters.
Burnley will be relegated from the Premier League and this has already given some non-believers in the Foster story a reason to mumble. The Bafana Bafana games in June will give Foster more exposure should any suitors want to save him from Championship football next season.
In keeping with his steadfast way of selection, Broos included his tried and tested players in his latest squad. Sydney Mobbie remains part of the furniture. Thapelo Morena is included despite not featuring for league champions Mamelodi Sundowns. In-form Tsegofatso Mabasa does not get a look-in but club teammate Evidence Makgopa returns with the hope of doing another Skomota dance celebration with Vusi Mothwa.
Youngsters Relebohile Mofokeng, Oswin Appollis, and Jayden Adams will get another chance to gain valuable national team experience but might not feature in any of the two starting lineups.