‘He’s got our blessings’, says Safa on Foster’s reasons for skipping Afcon
South African Football Association (Safa) CEO Lydia Monyepao says they gave their blessings to Lyle Foster when he asked to be excused from playing for Bafana Bafana at the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) starting in Ivory Coast next month.
Bafana will take on former champions Tunisia, highly unpredictable Mali and potential banana skin in neighbours Namibia during the group stages without their key attacker, who has recently had challenges with mental health issues.
When Foster was included in Bafana’s 50-man Afcon preliminary squad, his Burnley coach Vincent Kompany sparked outrage by saying the 23-year-old was not in a position to play at the tournament, but he has since returned to action for his club.
“He’s got the blessings of Safa because mental health is a serious issue and we understand the challenges players go through,” said Monyepao.
