Reports doing the rounds on Wednesday evening suggest that Mamelodi Sundowns attacker Phakamani Mahlambi has been released from international duty.
Mahlambi returned to the Bafana Bafana fold for the upcoming Cosafa Cup tournament where they begin their campaign on Sunday against Botswana.
The 21-year-old has been undergoing a transition of sorts after signing for Sundowns at the beginning of the 2018/19 campaign following a disappointing spell at Egyptian giants Al Ahly.
However, after a murky start to life at the Tshwane giants, Mahlambi has slowly been finding his feet, but his latest axing will be seen as a major blow to his progress.
Mahlambi featured 18 times for Sundowns in their successful league campaign, scoring four goals.
Reports state that Mahlambi allegedly arrived for the training drunk, leading to the technical team’s decision to boot him from the squad.
Cape Town City’s Gift Links has been called up to replace Mahlambi.
Bafana are using the regional tournament as a platform to feed many of the younger players into the system for years to come.
Meanwhile, David Notoane has emphasised the need for discipline in his squad.
“Discipline is very important‚ it is the first foundation of success,” Notoane was quoted as saying by Phakaaathi.
“Mentality comes in‚ but discipline and mentality cannot be separated‚” Notoane, who is standing in for head coach Stuart Baxter said.
“We don’t have control of that‚ you bring a player into a professional set-up‚ you believe you can develop their talent and shape their talent,” he concluded.
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