Bennett Chenene has given his views on the exclusion of Orlando Pirates' Thabo Matlaba from their CAF Champions League squad.
The Buccaneers have revealed their Champions League squad this week, and from the 27-man team that will be doing duty for the club in the initial stages of the continental competition, Matlaba's name is one of the notable exclusions.
Read: Matlaba Sandilands Among Notable Exclusions From Bucs' CAF Squad
Matlaba played an influential role for Bucs as they reached the final of the Champions League in 2013, as well as that of the CAF Confederation Cup in 2015, with his top performances.
Following the Tembisa-born player's unsuccessful move to Chippa United at the end of last season, it had been thought that the 30-year-old would form part of Bucs' Champions League squad as the team returns to the competition after a three-year absence.
"They (Pirates) should have given him (Matlaba) a chance. Yes, he hasn't been playing regularly in the PSL this season, but I think he would be able to help them with his experience in Africa," said Chenene.
Read: Bucs' New Signing Among 27 Players Registered For CAF
"He played there before and I thought they would look to use him again there. I thought he would have a good chance to go there. They should look to have a good balance of players to play in the PSL and those to play in the Champions League," added the former star midfielder.
Bucs have been scheduled to get their Champions League campaign underway with a match against Light Stars FC of Seychelles at the Orlando Stadium on the week of 27-28 November, with the return leg set to take place in Seychelles, the week of 4-5 December.
