There’s nothing sinister about Bafana Bafana forward Zakhele Lepasa’s withdrawal from the national team ahead of their International friendly match against Ivory Coast in Abidjan on Tuesday evening.
This was confirmed by Bafana team doctor Thabo Maleka in Abidjan on Sunday just two days before Bafana face the Elephants match.
“Lepasa is struggling with a left knee overuse injury, which could have been exacerbated again by the recent games and training. On the eve of travelling, the injury became worse and therefore necessitated that he must get some investigation to find the degree or severity of the injury in order to inform treatment,” Maleka revealed.
Bafana play the Ivorian Elephants away after they were held to a goalless draw by lowly eSwatini at the FNB Stadium in Nasrec, Johannesburg, on Friday evening.
Bafana are using these friendly matches to prepare for next month’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Benin.
