Stellenbosch head coach Steve Barker has revealed that he was disappointed with the treatment his side received from SAFA compared to Kaizer Chiefs.
After their 3-1 defeat against Chiefs, Barker revealed that his side went into the game with central defensive issues after SAFA pleaded to keep Oswin Andries in the under-20 national team camp.
The under-20 national team was preparing for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in the COSAFA tournament held in Eswatini.
Read: 'He's Not Just A Striker Waiting For Crosses'
Barker suggested that he initially accepted SAFA's plea to keep Andries as the captain of the side but was disappointed that Chiefs players in the squad were allowed to leave the camp and joined the national team later on after playing club matches in the DStv Diski Challenge and Engen Champ of Champs tournament.
"We wanted to bring back Oswin Andries due to our central defence difficulties but SAFA pleaded the day before they went to Swaziland," Barker told journalists in a press conference.
"They said 'Please he's gonna be our captain, can we keep him, can we keep him?', we said, 'Yes', in that case let's help our country sometimes there's bigger things.
"But the same team had Kaizer Chiefs players playing in the DDC, playing in the Engen tournament that didn't attend the camp and then go to camp (afterwards)," he revealed.
"So what's the purpose of having a camp if your players who are from the same team as the coach (U-20 national team coach Vela Khumalo is also the head coach of Chiefs' DDC side) don't go to camp? So in hindsight I should have forced back Oswin Andries.
"But also we try to be a club that helps national teams and then they go and disappoint and lose 2-0 to Malawi, a bit disappointing."
Barker went on to lament their central defensive issues and also pointed out that they had to play a youngster Olwethu Makhanya, who joined them recently, after Mogamad De Goede got a red-card.
"We just also had a centre-back positioning, it has been a nightmare from day one, where there's been injuries, players away on national duty, red cards," he went on.
"We eventually played with a youngster who just joined us a couple of months back, finishing the game (Olwethu) Makhanya in central defence.
"Which does plays a role in having that solid defensive unit, when you having to keep changing it week in and week out, I think it has only been two games where we would be able to consecutively play two centre-backs, it's been a bit unfortunate," he added.
Read: Chiefs Coach Addresses Blom Situation After Error
You must be Sign In to read and post comments.
Sign In
