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Star striker Benni McCarthy was left out of a South Africa squad named Thursday for an African Nations Cup qualifier in Congo next weekend.
The leading scorer for English Premiership club Blackburn Rovers last season was ignored after snubbing 1994 Brazil World Cup-winning coach Carlos Alberto Parreira by refusing to turn up for another qualifier this month against Chad.
McCarthy said he would not play again for 2010 World Cup hosts South Africa until a national football association official apologised for alleged criticism of the striker, whose last national team appearance was 17 months ago.
Benni claims he was made the scapegoat by delegation leader Mohamed Mubarak after Bafana Bafana (The Boys) fared disastrously at the 2006 Nations Cup, losing to Guinea, Tunisia and Zambia in Egypt without scoring a goal.
However, this has been dismissed as a smokescreen by some observers who say McCathy does not want to play at the 2008 tournament in Ghana, assuming South Africa qualify, because it could jeopardise his first-team place at Blackburn.
Since bursting on to the international stage by scoring nine goals at the 1998 Nations Cup, Benni has dreamt of playing in England and achieved the goal last year after spells in the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal.
Parreira has added uncapped Orlando Pirates defender Innocent Mdledle to the squad which beat Chad 4-0 in Durban and recalled another member of the Olympic squad, striker Lerato Chabungu from champions Mamelodi Sundowns.
South Africa top Group 11 with 10 points, three more than Zambia and five ahead of Congo, and will be seeking a third victory in four visits to the centre of the Congolese oil industry.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Rowen Fernandez (Arminia Bielefeld/GER), Calvin Marlin (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Defenders: Vuyo Mere and Benson Mhlongo (Sundowns), Bradley Carnell (Karlsruhe/GER), Innocent Mdledle (Orlando Pirates), Aaron Mokoena (Blackburn/ENG, capt), Nasief Morris (Panathinaikos/GRE), Cyril Nzama (Kaizer Chiefs)
Midfielders: Delron Buckley (Basle/SUI), Teko Modise (SuperSport Utd), Surprise Moriri (Sundowns), MacBeth Sibaya (Rubin Kazan/RUS), Elrio van Heerden (Brugge/BEL), Benedict Vilakazi (Pirates), Papi Zothwane (Golden Arrows)
Strikers: Lerato Chabangu (Sundowns), Thembinkosi 'Terror' Fanteni (Ajax Cape Town), Siyabonga Nomvete (Aalborg/DEN), Sibusiso Zuma (Bielefeld/GER)
The leading scorer for English Premiership club Blackburn Rovers last season was ignored after snubbing 1994 Brazil World Cup-winning coach Carlos Alberto Parreira by refusing to turn up for another qualifier this month against Chad.
McCarthy said he would not play again for 2010 World Cup hosts South Africa until a national football association official apologised for alleged criticism of the striker, whose last national team appearance was 17 months ago.
Benni claims he was made the scapegoat by delegation leader Mohamed Mubarak after Bafana Bafana (The Boys) fared disastrously at the 2006 Nations Cup, losing to Guinea, Tunisia and Zambia in Egypt without scoring a goal.
However, this has been dismissed as a smokescreen by some observers who say McCathy does not want to play at the 2008 tournament in Ghana, assuming South Africa qualify, because it could jeopardise his first-team place at Blackburn.
Since bursting on to the international stage by scoring nine goals at the 1998 Nations Cup, Benni has dreamt of playing in England and achieved the goal last year after spells in the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal.
Parreira has added uncapped Orlando Pirates defender Innocent Mdledle to the squad which beat Chad 4-0 in Durban and recalled another member of the Olympic squad, striker Lerato Chabungu from champions Mamelodi Sundowns.
South Africa top Group 11 with 10 points, three more than Zambia and five ahead of Congo, and will be seeking a third victory in four visits to the centre of the Congolese oil industry.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Rowen Fernandez (Arminia Bielefeld/GER), Calvin Marlin (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Defenders: Vuyo Mere and Benson Mhlongo (Sundowns), Bradley Carnell (Karlsruhe/GER), Innocent Mdledle (Orlando Pirates), Aaron Mokoena (Blackburn/ENG, capt), Nasief Morris (Panathinaikos/GRE), Cyril Nzama (Kaizer Chiefs)
Midfielders: Delron Buckley (Basle/SUI), Teko Modise (SuperSport Utd), Surprise Moriri (Sundowns), MacBeth Sibaya (Rubin Kazan/RUS), Elrio van Heerden (Brugge/BEL), Benedict Vilakazi (Pirates), Papi Zothwane (Golden Arrows)
Strikers: Lerato Chabangu (Sundowns), Thembinkosi 'Terror' Fanteni (Ajax Cape Town), Siyabonga Nomvete (Aalborg/DEN), Sibusiso Zuma (Bielefeld/GER)