South Africa seek FIFA intervention over Radebe (02.09.2002)
South Africa have written to FIFA to try to force English premier league club Leeds United to release Lucas Radebe to play in next Sunday`s African Nations Cup qualifier in the Ivory Coast, officials said.
The South African Football Association are also seeking FIFA`s intervention against Italian club Udinese, who do not want Siyabonga Nomvete to travel because of injury.
The team`s administrative manager Stanley Tshabalala said Leeds United manager Terry Venables had told him he would not release Radebe because the 33-year-old`s body would be unable to stand the pressure of travelling to Africa and returning to play in the premier league.
Radebe has just returned from serious knee and ankle injuries, which kept him sidelined since March 2001.
He played his first full match for South Africa in the lead up to the World Cup finals, where he captained the team in all three of their games in South Korea. His first
game for Leeds in 18 months when they beat Manchester City on the opening day of the new English season three weeks ago.
But South Africa`s new coach Ephraim Mashaba is insisting that Radebe plays in next Sunday`s group 11 qualifier in Abidjan, describing him as vital to South Africa`s ambitions of winning the group and reaching the 2004 Nations Cup finals in Tunisia.
"We have written to FIFA to force both Leeds and Udinese to allow the two players to travel. We will not back down on these two players," said Tshabalala.
Tshabalala said Udinese had told him the 25-year-old Nomvete was injured but were refusing to provide medical documentation.
As a precaution, defender Matthew Booth and uncapped Patrick Mbuthu were named on standby to join the South African squad, which leaves for Abidjan on Monday.
Booth last week joined Russian club Rostselmash Rostov from South African premier league club Mamelodi Sundowns.
