Santos have requested that Rodgers return to Cape Town to help them in the Promotion/Relegation Play-offs, which were suspended but resume this weekend. Santos face Chippa United on Wednesday, June 20.
"I think I am missing out on a wonderful opportunity to play for my country, but then again my club also needs me," the striker says.
"It's the kind of situation no player wants to find himself in, but like I have been saying everything happens for a reason. I just hope I get another chance to play for Bafana Bafana and show what I can give to the nation.
"It's really sad but I have to take it the way it is. I also want to wish Bafana Bafana the best of luck against Gabon, hope they do really well."
Rodgers, who did not take part in the squad's last training session at Mbombela Stadium, will depart for Cape Town on Friday morning.
Caretaker coach Steve Komphela says the situation is regretable but understandable.
"This is out of my hands, but if you ask me I would have loved for the boy to stay and play for his country. We had worked so much with him at training and just on the eve of the match we get news that he has to return to his club.
"It's a sad situation for the player and for the team, but we have to soldier on and find an alternative approach to the match."
Komphela now has 20 players to choose from for the clash, after releasing five players from the squad earlier in the week.
After two draws in the World Cup qualifiers, South Africa now face a Gabon side ranked 49th in the world, compared to Bafana Bafana's 69th.
"We are optimistic that we will do well, whoever starts knows what they must do and what is expected of them," Komphela says.
"The team has been formulated and we need the confidence and the inspiration not only for ourselves but also for the nation. It is bad when South Africans get into the mode of saying 'I hope we win,' but we need to say a win is guaranteed irrespective of where Gabon is placed in the rankings."
Meanwhile tickets for the match are still available.
Tickets on the lower and upper concourse are R50 and can be bought at Computicket outlets, Shoprite and Shoprite stores around the country.
No tickets will be sold at the stadium on match day.
Park and Ride: There will be a full park and ride in operation for the match on Friday, June 15, at the following pick-up points: Riverside Mall Public Transport Hub in the CBD Show grounds
• All match tickets entitle spectators to use the buses
• Spectators must present a valid match ticket when boarding the buses to the stadium
• There will be two pick-up points at the stadium after the match that will be clearly marked
• The same buses will be travelling to Public Transport Hub and the Show Grounds after the match
• Buses will transport spectators to the pick-up points until all spectators have left the stadium and there will be no need to rush for the buses
• There will be sufficient buses to transport all the spectators
• Buses will start leaving the pick-up points at 5pm. Kick-off is 8.30pm.
Your comments on this story...
I live here in England that boy dean furman is a good player well developed let us stop saying we don't have players while our talent is getting waisted,in south Africa when you are 30plus you are old,how do you choose nonvethe over benni?lampard 34,drogba 34,shavshenko35,robbie keane33,John terry31,marislov klose36 so why are you saying benni is old,I will tell you what had you played benni we could have won most of those draws.
I rest my case and please let us choose the rite coach not colour of skin.gorden is the best coach ,what has Khomphela achieved as a coach,hunt never past group stages of African champions league,shakes failed with the u23 he is ok as a development coach,tovey should assist gorden from his previous stint with bafana
Thank you south Africa from London
mathoho, Serero, Jali, Manyisa, keet, mahlangu, Tokelo, Classen, and mix them with few experience players like Sangweni, khune, Benny, Yeye.
This game can expect at least 7000 fans
Your views are well in order,... though your last but one paragraph where you analyze coaches,,,, NO mate, I guess you better leave that to experts. All the coaches have their own story to tell. I am sure none of them will say he is a failure in some cases. In fact when you present (as a coach) you only present your success and where you know you fail, you put it as plans for improvement and recommendations. i.e. Shakes holds the best record as Bafana coach irrespective of how comparative the competitions wereand has been good for the under23 (the feader to BB). Gordon never archived much in Africa but is well known to take a club from nowhere to challenge or even win the league yet no international experience (as a coach). Gavin hunt lose players year in and year out at SSU but he manages to take some no name players and challenge for the league and win it back to back when situations allow. (Both Hunt and Godon played overseas and have good knowledge of international football). Tovey won the league with Sundowns though as Junior coach then... has a good record in getting involved in development and played for a winning Bafana team back then as well as Steve and the latter's tactics are spot on most of the times.. hence they know what kind of mentality is needed in the setup to succeed. These are my own analysis and I know I am not perfect either... hence I say there should be better people to analyze this though we have been disappointed many times by them (the panel). Sorry but you player analysis are spot on.
Just another loser in Za. LoL!
Reasons why Mashaba was fired. So why would SAFA want to re-cycle Shakes.
Mashaba had been suspended for the last seven days by Safa for an alleged breach of contract, and his dismissal came in a letter while an urgent interdict against his suspension was continuing at the Johannesburg High Court.
The coach was arguing that he was not given an opportunity to defend himself, but the letter sent by Safa said that Mashaba had failed to make any effort to remedy the reasons for his suspension.
"In light of the failure, your services are hereby cancelled," the letter, which was signed by Safa chief executive officer Albert Mokoena, said.
Mashaba was suspended on 7 January after Safa claimed he had failed to monitor the form of the country's foreign-based players and had selected a Nations Cup squad with players who were injured or who had not played recently.
The body also said Mashaba had failed to promote the association's image, a matter of some importance given that South Africa are one of five African countries bidding to host the 2010 World Cup.
He Mashaba made us turn against our own players. Mashaba is a big NO.
Mashaba on 7 January claiming he had selected a Nations Cup squad with players who were injured or who had not played recently and had failed to monitor the form of the country's foreign-based players.
Mashaba refused to allow the likes of FC Porto striker Benni McCarthy and Charlton Athletic defender Mark Fish to arrive late for training camp, thus prompting both to declare they would be no longer available for national duty.
Safa gave Mashaba a week to remedy the situation, which it said he had failed to do when the body dismissed the coach on 15 January.
Sad we're ONE DIMENSIONAL these days, only play township staff and if it doesn't work. We don't have PLAN B like in the past. I remember in 1996-1998 we had big TALL strikers like Masinga, Koumntarakis,Ndlanya and pacey ones like Williams,Bartlett,Mudau,Augustine etc..WE HAD VARIETY!!!WE HAD FIGHTERS!!!!!!Our mid was SOLID with likes of HARD TACKLING WORK-HORSES Tinkler,Buthelezi, Moeti, Ngobe etc..I dont wanna mention our BACK/DEFENCE.
Youngstars of those days like Benni, Fortune, Nomvete, Fredericks, Booth etc..learnt alot from these and become household names. All of these made it OVERSEAS!!!!!WE WERE FEARED IN AFRICA IN GHANA, CONGO, ZAMBIA ETC..WE CONVERTED FANS THEY ENDED UP SUPPORTING BAFANA!!!!
Today we have WEAK JOKES who FALL OVER like Teko, Shaba,Majoro etc..the less said about Khune the better.
I MISS THOSE DAYS!!!!As a 11 year old I was used to GOOD FOOTBALL!!!As I grew older I saw more of our players DIVING AND FALLING LIKE SACK OF POTATOES!!!!!!
Finally the coach that inspires confidence, we are tired of coaches respecting other nations as though we only have 'cows' in our country.
"Moer Hulle" Bafana Bafana
Who will attend ths game? Dnt u gt sum else useful 2do?
you are just an on the day bafana fan,loyalty is something you dont have.so emmigrate to a country where you want to attend the match.
i BELIEVE THAT 75% of the time when a team is under perfoming it is not a coaching problem.
Vir my is dit beter sou wees as jy gaan terug na Europa na lande soos België. Joburg spanne is 'n waiste van die tyd, veral as jy te doen het met hul dom aanhangers.
Ouderdom is nog steeds aan jou kant, neem my advies.
You ar eeither acting dumb or you are indeed dumb.You say Pitso did not call your Dean Furman because he is white, thus alleging racism. you then go and fart about the same Pitso not calling Kamohelo Mokotjo who is black but do not tell us why is that. you say you are in london but behave like some ANCYL member from Limpopo who always resort to race labeling when he runs out of ideas.
Pitso did not call all those players because he does not believe in them, nothing to do with race. i will accept it if you say he did not pick them because he is incompetent and clueless, but to say its because of race? hayi uyanya Joe!!
jst like Zuma re-shufled his parliament i think the new coach should adopt Zuma's ideology if u cnt perform voetsek n **** off. the new coach must bring in new blood:
mathoho, Serero, Jali, Manyisa, keet, mahlangu, Tokelo, Classen, and mix them with few experience players like Sangweni, khune, Benny, Yeye.
..................
Please remove Mpandlane Manyisa for the list of young blood.