Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has confirmed that Orlando Pirates midfielder Miguel Timm has replaced Njabulo Blom in the squad to face Liberia in the all-important 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Broos has revealed that he wasn’t happy with Blom’s situation after the player told him that likely picked up Covid-19, while his Major League Soccer club had just stated the player is sick.
While Broos had hinted at sinister intention by St. Louis City SC, who play on 26 March despite the upcoming FIFA break, sporting Director Lutz Pfannenstiel – who had a brief stint with Orlando Pirates in 1998 – has told this publication that Blom has been bedridden since the end of last week (10 March).
With Blom not able to travel, Broos decided to call up a replacement into his squad, which only included four midfielders in the first place.
“We get a medical report and Njabulo is not able to play and to travel,” he stated on Monday.
“That’s the reason why we have to replace him.”
Timm was part of the previous Bafana squad and feature in both the 2-1 win over Mozambique, when he made his international debut at the age of 30, and the 1-1 draw with Angola.
He had initially been cut from Broos’ final 23-man squad after being included in the preliminary squad, but will now be part of the group that prepares for the double header against Liberia.
Bafana need at least four points from the home match vs Liberia on 24 March and the away fixture four day later, if they want to book the ticket for the 2023 AFCON.
With Zimbabwe still suspended by FIFA, two out of the three teams in Group K will qualify for the tournament in Algeria next year.
