Thulani Serero’s latest Bafana Bafana snub may be the last straw for the South African Football Association.
The Dutch-based midfielder’s international career is littered with run-ins with SAFA, where on several occasions the Bafana star has either refused to represent his country or honour Bafana call-ups.
Back in 2013 when Gordon Igesund was Bafana Head Coach, 'Cream' refused to play for the national team citing a groin injury. However, SAFA’s medics could not detect the injury with the player adamant that he was not faking an injury to get out of Bafana duty. The Bafana star was seen only a few days later playing for Ajax Amsterdam against Barcelona in the Champions League.
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Most recently, Serero refused a call-up to be part of Stuart Baxter’s squad to face Senegal in both the home and away legs of a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier, stating that he would only travel to link up with the squad if he was guaranteed playing time. South Africa went on to lose both encounters and finished bottom of the group ending all hopes of qualifying for Russia next year.
The 27-year-old further told Dutch media that he would rather watch Bafana from the comfort of his couch than from the bench in the context of his demands to be on the field, than a substitute.
The Siya crew reported that SAFA had demanded that Serero draft a formal communication to the FA, explaining his reasons for refusing to represent the country in the crucial World Cup qualifiers.
However, Soccer Laduma can confirm that the Eredivisie-based midfielder has failed to comply with SAFA’s demands and has not produced the letter that was requested of him.
“As things stand Mr Serero has not produced the communication that was requested of him,” Dominic Chimhavi of SAFA told the Crew.
“SAFA has taken the stance that as things stand at the moment, Serero’s refusal to produce the formal letter will be taken as his resignation from international football and he will no longer be considered for selection in the future,” added Chimhavi.
During his time with the national team, Serero has earned himself 35 international caps with two goals to his name.
