Mamelodi Sundowns have added Thela Ngobeni to their CAF Champions League squad after they missed out on registering new goalkeeper Razak Brimah because they could not get his international transfer certificate (ITC) on time.
Following the departure of Wayne Sandilands to Orlando Pirates, coach Pitso Mosimane added Ghana’s number one goalkeeper Brimah to his squad, but he won’t be able to use the big man’s experience in the Champions League.
The former Bafana Bafana coach, however, will give the shot-stopper a chance to prove himself in the domestic competitions. Registration of players for the Champions League closed on Friday.
“His ITC came late, so Razak is not registered for the Champions League. So he will help Denis [Onyango] in the local programme. We have Thela because we can’t go with two [goalkeepers],” Mosimane told media at the 2017/18 Absa Premiership launch, where the Premier Soccer League announced a new five-year contract with sponsors Absa.
“Wayne Sandilands dropped me the day we were leaving for Esperance. He said ‘I am not travelling, I am leaving’. It’s a big one. Teko [Modise] dropped me the day we were leaving for Ethiopia. We did not drop Teko, he left us. We have only 20 players [for the Champions League].
“Razak is number one for Ghana. Denis is number one for Uganda. I have to give Razak a chance because Denis misses a lot of games and international games are affecting him, so I will try give Razak a chance.”
Ngobeni, who was on the bench when Sundowns were beaten 1-0 by Maritzburg United in the MTN8 on Sunday, enjoyed a good season of regular football while on loan to Free State Stars last season. He now has to fight for a place in the starting line-up with three top international goalkeepers.
