Baxter Awaits Final Clearance on Injured Rantie

Tokelo Rantie, whose two goals in Uyo three years ago denied the Super Eagles from qualifying for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations may miss the trip to the stadium where he became the first South African to score against Nigeria outside South African soil.

Sports Village Square was informed that Rantie and Rivaldo Coetzee were the only two of the seven injured players that did not feature in the Bafana Bafana morning training session at the FNB Stadium on Tuesday morning.

Sources informed that Coach Baxter will later this Tuesday decide whether Rantie and Coetzee will make the trip to Nigeria on Wednesday.

Coach Stuart Baxter was quoted as saying that the two players will be tested in the Tuesday afternoon training session.

“The coach said if striker Rantie and centre back Coetzee did not train in the afternoon‚ a call would have to be made on whether they would travel with the team to Nigeria.

“It’s good news really because all but Tokelo and Rivaldo trained this morning” Baxter was quoted as said on Tuesday.

“We’re going to try and get them activated in the afternoon. If they do that successfully then all of the players will trained before we depart for Nigeria‚ which means that we’ll have a full squad to choose from.

According to Times of South Africa, the coach believed that the injuries were not recent. “I think some of these injuries players have been carrying for a long time.

“And the players probably thought that they would just keep on playing. The doctor (Bafana team doctor‚ Thulani Ngwenya) wanted to make sure that they were 100 percent.

“And it was really Tokelo and Rivaldo who we were more worried about. But they’ve responded well to treatment‚ and we will try and test them out this afternoon.

“If they are not 100 percent then‚ then we have to make a call on that one. Can they be involved at all‚ or do we call a couple of players in instead of them?

“I think they are going to be OK. Because if they’re close to training this afternoon‚ then maybe in another 24 hours they could be 100 percent.”

Among other players who arrived in camp with niggling concerns were defender Mulomowandau Mathoho‚ midfielders Andile Jali‚ Tiyani Mabunda and Aubrey Ngoma‚ and forward Lebogang Manyama.