Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Sibongiseni Mthethwa has opened up about missing out on the AFCON after sustaining an unfortunate knock just before the final squad announcement.
Bafana returned from the AFCON with a bronze medal after going as far as the semi-final where they couldn’t progress past Nigeria but were able to topple DR Congo in the third-place qualifier.
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One man who narrowly missed out on the action was Chiefs' Mthethwa, whom head coach Broos listed as stand-by player after the midfielder suffered prior to the final squad announcement.
The 29-year-old midfielder had just returned to the Bafana national team following his big-money move to Amakhosi from Stellenbosch.
Speaking to journalists at a recent Vodacom donation handover event in Tembisa, Mthethwa dismissed suggestions that he was disappointed with not being in Ivory Coast.
"I wouldn’t say it’s a disappointment," Mthethwa said.
"What happened before the final squad was announced was that I had a knock. So, I can’t say I’m disappointed because they called up someone else.
"That player is also capable of representing the country because the only important thing was for the national team to reach their goals, to win the AFCON.
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"So no, I would not say I was disappointed. I had a knock and they couldn’t take someone with a knock while there are [fit] players available. There are many players in South Africa. So sometimes we have to be honest."
Mthethwa will be aiming to reclaim his place in Hugo Broos’ plans when Bafana take on Andorra on 21 March in an international friendly.
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