Last week, it was reported by the Siya crew that Stellenbosch FC defender Ismael Toure was left out of the side after he missed training with the first team.
Toure was a notable absentee from Stellies' matchday squad as they played in the CAF Confederation Cup against Nsingizini Hotspurs of Eswatini on August 17.
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While independent sources who spoke to the Siya crew on condition of anonymity at the time confirmed that the defender had not trained leading up to the game in Durban, the information that he missed training was factually incorrect, this publication can confirm.
As confirmed by the player's representative Herve Bakajika, Toure did report for training that week but was instructed by club management to train with the DStv Diski Challenge (DDC) team instead under the supervision of the fitness trainer.
"He was instructed to train with the DDC and he did that. He was not at all forcing his way out, he still pitches for training and follows the management's instruction though his greatest desire is to play in Europe," said Bakajika.
As explained by the representative, Toure didn't miss any of the training sessions with the DDC team although he wasn't part of first team training, which is why he was left out of the team that played the Confederation Cup match.
The 26-year-old also missed the second leg clash this past Saturday as the Cape Winelands' outfit recorded an 8-0 aggregate win to advance in the continental competition.
"What happened is that Toure put a request to the club to basically ask that he be transferred. The transfer request was put early when the transfer season opened but it has taken long. His ambition is to go and play in Europe. There was a meeting with the club about that," said Bakajika, speaking exclusively to the Siya crew.
"He told the club that he wanted to play in Europe, and he also made the club aware that there was interest from local clubs as well. So, he pleaded with the club to please allow him to move. The latest conversation happened during the same week they had a game against the club from Eswatini. I don't think the management appreciated that because they were focused on preparing for the CAF Confederation Cup game and he was speaking about his transfer. They then asked him to go and train with the DDC team as they were focusing on the game. That's what happened and I was part of that meeting. He trained with the DDC team and as the team travelled for the game, they gave him a fitness schedule which he followed with the fitness trainer," added Bakajika.
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Meanwhile, the Siya crew can confirm that Toure has been re-called to coach Steve Barker's team to face Mamelodi Sundowns in the first leg of their MTN8 semi-final on Wednesday evening at Lucas Moripe Stadium.
"They (Stellenbosch) went up for their upcoming game against Sundowns which is today, and initially Toure didn't travel for the encounter. I think the team went early in the week and Toure was only called up yesterday in the afternoon to go and join the team," concluded the representative.
Soccer Laduma contacted Stellenbosch FC for comment but the club had not responded by the time this report was published.
