The former captain of the South Africa men’s national team Thulani Hlatswayo has advised his SuperSport United teammate Ime Okon to jettison any thoughts of choosing the Super Eagles of Nigeria over the Bafana Bafana.
Born in South Africa to a Nigerian father and South African mother, 20-year-old Okon is eligible to represent either Nigeria or South Africa.
However, the defender is yet to be invited by either country. Addressing Okon’s limbo situation, Hlatshwayo pointed out the potential difficulty in securing a call-up to the Super Eagles, especially since the defender is not currently playing in Europe.
“I have told him he needs to stay in South Africa because it will be difficult for him to crack the Nigeria national team,” Hlatshwayo told Goal.
“To be able to crack the Nigerian national team, he needs to play in Europe — but we need him in Bafana Bafana.
“When you look at our centre backs, Mothobi Mvala has injuries, there is also Grant Kekana and Siyanda Xulu — and I read Siyabonga Ngezana had an issue with his travel documents, but I don’t know what is happening there. His father is from Nigeria and mother from South Africa,” the 34-year-old concluded.
Born in South Africa to a Nigerian father and South African mother, 20-year-old Okon is eligible to represent either Nigeria or South Africa.
However, the defender is yet to be invited by either country. Addressing Okon’s limbo situation, Hlatshwayo pointed out the potential difficulty in securing a call-up to the Super Eagles, especially since the defender is not currently playing in Europe.
“I have told him he needs to stay in South Africa because it will be difficult for him to crack the Nigeria national team,” Hlatshwayo told Goal.
“To be able to crack the Nigerian national team, he needs to play in Europe — but we need him in Bafana Bafana.
“When you look at our centre backs, Mothobi Mvala has injuries, there is also Grant Kekana and Siyanda Xulu — and I read Siyabonga Ngezana had an issue with his travel documents, but I don’t know what is happening there. His father is from Nigeria and mother from South Africa,” the 34-year-old concluded.
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