Rangers midfielder Bongani Zungu faces a nervous wait to find out if he’ll be included in the South Africa national team squad for their AFCON qualifying campaign following a high-profile Covid-19 breach.
The Amiens loanee was the eldest of five Rangers players – by seven years – who attended a lockdown breaching party in Glasgow’s west end with his Gers career all but over.
Now, the player will only have himself to blame if his dream of helping his country to a major tournament is also impacted by the breach with a “very worried” Bafana Bafana manager discussing the situation in the South African press.
Molefi Ntseki – a coach with whom Zungu has had high-profile run-ins with previously – also revealed Rangers will have a role to play over the decision.
“It is something where we can’t commit ourselves until we have spoken to the club and to the player,” said Ntseki [TimesLIVE].
“I was in a meeting with the CEO [on Monday] addressing this matter. We can’t be seen to be commenting until we have spoken to the club to find out what happened.
“Maybe by the end of business [on Wednesday] we will have spoken to the club. Then a follow-up will be made with the player.
“We are very worried about what happened‚ and how is that going to impact negatively on him as a player and on Bafana Bafana.
“The next Fifa week of March 21 to 30 is very important for us. Those are two crucial matches where we have to play to win to qualify.
“We would have loved to have every player in the country available for selection.
“In incidents like this we should not be punitive and should try to get more information because we need each other for the success of the team and for individual success in their careers.”
The news also comes after Rangers boss Steven Gerrard all but consigned the underperforming player to the Ibrox exit door.
Gerrard said it would be “fair to say” that the player has lost any chance of securing a permanent deal at the club [Glasgow Live].
Another Rangers player is set to miss out on a trip away with his side during the next international break, but for considerably different reasons.
