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‘I have been overlooked for Bafana’, claims Patosi
Ayanda Patosi has revealed that he feels Bafana Bafana’s inadequate monitoring of overseas based players may have robbed him of an opportunity to play for the national team.
Ayanda Patosi (Photo by Luke Walker/Gallo Images)
Patosi is currently in Iran where he is on loan at Foolad from Cape Town City.
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He told a South African Football Journalists Association (Safja) virtual media conference on Monday that he feels players who have not played for the big teams in South Africa before going overseas are being overlooked for the national team.
“Sometimes I feel I am overlooked,” he said. “I feel that when I am outside the country they don’t know what I am doing because I have had some good seasons but was not given a chance,” added Patosi.
He said he understood that every coach has his own kind of players but he would keep working hard trying to get noticed.
“Sometimes it is up to the coaches and some coaches just don’t believe in you. It is not up to me but the coach and people involved. The one time when (Stuart) Baxter was selecting a team for Afcon, I was doing really well and scoring goals in Iran and I was the best player in the country at the time, but I never got the call.”
While insisting that he was not criticizing Bafana’s scouting and selection policies, Patosi did stress that it is not easy to understand how it is done.
“It is up to the one in charge if they like your style you can get more caps. I don’t know if they are monitoring all the players overseas or they just look at those who played for the big teams in SA. I don’t know how it works but I am doing my best where I am.
“I am hoping that the new coach (Molefi Ntseki) will give me a chance. Even if he calls me for a training camp so he can see if he likes me or not. It sometimes feels like no one is looking at you. Every time a squad is announced I am watching…”
He said the fact that Dino Ndlovu, who plays in China, has been given a chance, makes him think he could also be lucky.
“Dino Ndlovu being selected while he plays at China’s second division has given me hope that they will also consider me,” he said.
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