 Fortune has not reported to camp |
Quinton Fortune may not play in Thursday's friendly against England after South African officials said they could not get in touch with the Manchester United midfielder. Fortune is one of the players at the centre of the storm that resulted in Jomo Sono taking temporary charge of the team for the match in Durban.
National coach Ephraim Mashaba had refused to call up Fortune after terming the midfielder "unpatriotic" for missing a game against Jamaica in April.
Fortune's possible absence from Thursday's international would come as a major embarrassment to the South African FA, which sidelined Mashaba to ensure a full strength side.
Officials have made futile efforts to get hold of Fortune, thought to still be in England after the end of the premier league season.
Former South Africa coach Carlos Queiroz, now assistant manager at Manchester United, was one of those asked to make contact with the player.
To add to South Africa's woes, there have been three withdrawals from the 22-man squad - Sibusiso Zuma, Jacob Lekgetho and Bradley Carnell.
Zuma has to play for FC Copenhagen in Denmark in an important league match, while Jacob Lekgetho of Lokomotiv Moscow had been ordered by his club to return to Russia.
Bradley Carnell, from VfB Stuttgart, pulled out after missing Sunday's Bundesliga match against champions Bayern Munich, as a result of a chest infection.
MMIX
Email this to a friend 
Printable version 