Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane has explained his decision to include injured captain Ronwen Williams in his squad for the upcoming back-to-back international matches against Kenya, insisting that a player’s current injury status does not necessarily rule him out of contention.

Speaking on SABC Sport, Mosimane defended Williams’ inclusion, explaining that the national team maintains constant communication with clubs, physical trainers, analysts and medical personnel to monitor the fitness and recovery of players.

Williams’ fitness is also a concern for Mamelodi Sundowns, who are preparing to face USM Alger in the CAF Super Cup in Pretoria on Sunday, with Mosimane hoping the goalkeeper will recover in time to feature.

The coach believes that injuries must be assessed continuously, as a player who is unavailable at the time of selection could recover in time to feature.

“Sometimes we call players knowing that they are still injured. But an injury does not necessarily mean that a player will be unavailable for the match,” Mosimane explained.

“A player can pick up a knock over the weekend but recover in time to become available two or two-and-a-half days before the match. That is why we have to keep monitoring their situations.”

Mosimane further highlighted the importance of communication between the national team and clubs, revealing that different departments work together to establish the latest developments regarding players’ fitness.

“We are in contact with all the teams and their physical trainers. Musi [Matlaba] is in contact with all the team analysts, while our doctor is in contact with the other medical teams. There is constant communication,” he said.

The former Mamelodi Sundowns coach also pointed out that clubs sometimes manage the workloads of influential players by keeping them out of training for a few days before allowing them to return for the final sessions ahead of a match.

“At club level, I have seen situations where an injured player is taken out of training for two days because he is an important and influential player. He is then allowed to train for the final one or two days before the match,” he added.

Using Aubrey Modiba’s situation at Sundowns as an example, Mosimane questioned the logic of excluding players from national team consideration simply because they are carrying injuries.

“Look at Aubrey Modiba at Sundowns. He has had injury problems, but he was on the bench and eventually came on to play. Imagine if you had not called him because you thought he was injured,” Mosimane said.

He acknowledged that the decision to call up injured players can attract criticism, but maintained that the technical team cannot afford to make premature decisions when recovery remains a possibility.

“What if the player recovers and plays on Saturday? What are you going to say if he plays on Saturday?” he questioned.

For Mosimane, Williams’ inclusion is about keeping communication open and allowing the medical and technical teams to assess his recovery rather than ruling him out before his availability has been established.

Written by: Sandile Ndumo