After skipping the Bafana Bafana October camp on the pretext of ‘family reasons’, talisman Percy Tau has surprisingly been spotted training with his club, Al Ahly.
Percy Tau, the Bafana vice-captain, left coach Hugo Broos fretting when he withdrew from participating in the preparatory matches against Eswatini and Ivory Coast.
“There’s the case of Percy Tau, so I had contact with Percy last week. For family reasons, he liked not to be here. I understood it,” Broos said.
“On the other side, I’m really not amused that he played yesterday with Al Ahly. I think clubs have to understand that in very important periods, they wanted to have their players. But it’s the same case for me, for us as a national team.”
Bafana already drew with Eswatini and is due to lock horns with Tuesday’s 2023 Africa Cup of Nations hosts Ivory Coast.
Kaizer Chiefs Mduduzi Mdantsane was called in as the direct replacement, although Broos would have wanted to have the playmaker as they prepare for the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Curiously, Tau was on parade a day before the international break began, as Al Ahly beat Ismaily SC 3-1 in an Egyptian league encounter. The former Mamelodi Sundowns forward hit a brace in that match.
PERCY TAU SPOTTED DURING AN AL AHLY TRAINING
Moreover, his presence in the Al Ahly camp after skipping national duty is likely to raise questions about his commitment to the national team at a time when Bafana are preparing for crucial assignments.
Tau was present when Bafana drew against Namibia before a narrow win over the Democratic Republic of Congo 1-0 last month.
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The ‘Lion of Judah’ played a part in the second match against the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Bafana are set to start the 2026 World Cup qualification sojourn next month before plunging into the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations finals in January.
They were drawn in Group E along with Tunisia, Namibia and Mali. Bafana will return to the continental showpiece after missing the previous edition.
Broos and his men will go up against Namibia’s neighbouring country, who are captained by Mamelodi Sundowns’ gunslinger Peter Shalulile.