The exclusion of Benni McCarthy from the 2010 FIFA World Cup squad was something that left most people disappointed, but one of the top players from that squad says they saw it coming.
Katlego Mphela was amongst Bafana Bafana's top players building up to the World Cup and has come out to reveal that some of the players were not shocked by the decision of then-coach Carlos Alberto Parreira.
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'Killer' says the signs were there already because of what was happening in the national team camps way before the tournament.
"Some of us knew from the beginning that Benni McCarthy was not going to be part of the team," Mphela tells snl24.com/kickoff.
"It was clear from friendlies and Confederations Cup as he was not part of the team, so it didn't shock us as players but it was really a huge blow."
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McCarthy at the time was amongst the top European-based players from South Africa playing in the English Premier League alongside Aaron Mokoena and Steven Pienaar.
Mphela says as much as it was shocking to leave out a player who once won the UEFA Champions League, as players they did not want to ask questions because it was not only McCarthy who did not make the last 23.
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"[It was a shock] especially as someone who was huge that time, but as players we couldn't ask questions," he adds.
"Because the decision was already made and we had to focus on the tournament. Also, many players couldn't make the cut."