Fortune considers SA return

Quinton Fortune will end his international exile later this month by playing for South Africa in a friendly against African champions Tunisia.

The Manchester United player has been included in a 20-man squad named by Bafana Bafana's British coach Stuart Baxter for the 18 August fixture in Tunis.

Fortune has refused to play for his country since being described as 'unpatriotic' by Baxter's predecessor Ephraim Mashaba ahead of a friendly against Jamaica in April 2003.

Last week, the 27-year-old met with Baxter in the English city Manchester and indicated his availability for selection.

Mashaba had been upset that Fortune claimed to be injured ahead of the Jamaica friendly and then played for his English Premiership club the day after his sick-note arrived at the South African Football Association's headquarters.

Yet Baxter's attempts to convince the Manchester United player to participate in South Africa's campaign to qualify for the 2006 World Cup and Cup of Nations have clearly succeeded.

Fortune won the last of his 43 caps against Spain in the 2002 World Cup finals in South Korea and Japan.

He is joined in the squad by recent absentees Benni McCarthy, who has ended his own international exile, as well as Charlton Athletic's Shaun Bartlett.

Baxter's squad also includes four uncapped players - goalkeeper Rowen Fernandez, defender Jeffrey Ntuka, winger Tyren Arendse and striker Thando Mngomeni.

South Africa squad:

Goalkeepers: Rowan Fernandez (Kaizer Chiefs), Hans Vonk (Ajax Amsterdam, Holland)

Defenders: Bradley Carnell (Borussia Monchengladbach, Germany), Lucky Lekgwathi (Orlando Pirates), Mbulelo Mabizela (Tottenham Hotspur, England), Aaron Mokoena (Racing Genk, Belgium), Nasief Morris (Panathinaikos, Greece), Jeffrey Ntuka (Westerlo, Belgium)

Midfielders: Tyren Arendse (Santos), Delron Buckley (Arminia Bielefeld, Germany), Lance Davids (1860 Munich, Germany), Quinton Fortune (Manchester United, England), Steven Pienaar (Ajax Amsterdam, Holland), MacBeth Sibaya (Rubin Kazan, Russia), Elrio van Heerden (FC Copenhagen, Denmark), Benedict Vilakazi (Pirates), Japhet Zwane (Rostov, Russia)

Strikers: Shaun Bartlett (Charlton Athletic, England), Benni McCarthy (Porto, Portugal), Thando Mngomeni (Helsingborg, Sweden)