Benni McCarthy makes tough captain call
Amazulu coach Benni McCarthy made a tough call on his captain at the weekend, which could give insight into the players’ future.
Siyabonga Mbatha was a surprise omission from the South Africa DStv Premiership side’s squad that travelled to Venda to face Black Leopards in the Nedbank Cup round of 16, a match they lost narrowly with Neil Boshoff the one between the sticks.
Mbatha has played second fiddle to Veli Mothwa for the better part of the season, but he was McCarthy’s preferred goalie in the previous cup tie against Golden Arrows.
The Siya crew understands that the decision to leave him out of the trip to Limpopo may very well be an indication that he is not part of his plans going forward – and Mbatha is out of contract at the end of the season.
He has previously been linked to Orlando Pirates.
Mbatha, 32, has not yet signed a new contract with AmaZulu, and this was confirmed by Sizwe Ntshangase, his representative.
“I cannot comment about the player not being in the squad, that’s a question for the technical team. But Mbatha is out of contract in June and we’ve submitted a proposal to the club. As things stand, we’ve not finalised anything, though we need to conclude talks soon to plan for his future,” he told the Siya crew.
Despite being the club captain, Mbatha was dropped from being a regular when Usuthu signed Mothwa from Chippa United in November. Since then Mbatha has played in eight of the club’s 19 games in all competitions.—Soccerladuma
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