Bafana Bafana skipper Ronwen Williams has extended his unwavering support to Lyle Foster, who has been ruled out of action due to mental health issues.
Williams has insisted that Foster’s mental health is more important than football.
The Burnley FC and Bafana striker has taken a step back from football to focus on his mental well-being, his club announced last week.
The Premier League side also confirmed that Foster is receiving the support he needs in order to return to playing.
Bafana head coach Hugo Broos omitted Lyle Foster from the final 23-man squad for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Benin and Rwanda.
This comes after the coach had a chat with Burnley and the club’s head coach, Vincent Kompany, about the striker’s condition.
Ronwen Williams, who is in camp with Bafana as they prepare to take on Benin at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday before travelling to play Rwanda away from home on November 21, has offered his full support to Foster.
WILLIAMS SENDS SUPPORT TO FOSTER AS HE FOCUSES ON MENTAL HEALTH
“To Lyle Foster, we miss him. He is in our thoughts and prayers,” said Williams at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria.
“We hope everything will go well for him and that he can return to doing what he does best, which is playing football.”
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With Foster in Bafana’s thoughts and prayers, Williams also said that the mood in camp has been positive ahead of the World Cup qualifiers.
He stated that the players are executed and looking forward to playing.
“Obviously, the start of the World Cup qualifiers campaign. You know, we got the valuable experience of playing over the last two years,” he said. “The pain we have felt has carried us through the last year or so. I’m just glad to be part and looking forward to the camp.
“There’s a good feeling in the camp because the results we got over a few months have been amazing.
“We want that to continue. There’s a lot of new faces and familiar faces, so it’s our job as leadership to make them feel part of the team.”