Baxter expected to recall Pule
Baxter expected to recall Pule

Posted in News on Oct 12, 2004.

Bafana Bafana coach Stuart Baxter is expected to recall

Austria-based star midfielder Jabu Pule for the November 17

Nelson

Mandela Challenge.



Pule has been doing extremely well since joining Mattersburg FC

at the

beginning of the season after being recruited by the club's

coach Muhsin

Ertugral.



Ertugral used to coach Pule at Chiefs.



The talented Pule last featured for Bafana Bafana during the

African

Nations Cup qualifying rounds in October after going absent

without

leave

at Chiefs.



Various soccer experts, including former Bafana Bafana coach

Jomo Sono

and Ertugral, has been urging Baxter to recall Pule to stabilise

the

midfield.



Mbulelo Mabizela will also be included in the team to play

against the

Super Eagles after missing Sunday's 2006 World Cup qualifier

against

Uganda

in Kampala.



Mabizela, who plays for English Premiership side Tottenham

Hotspur, did

not go to Kampala since he was serving a one match suspension in

the game

won 1-0 by Bafana Bafana.



South African Football Association acting chief executive

officer Albert

Mokoena has confirmed the eagerly-awaited November 17 against

the Super

Eagles.



Mokoena said the deal for the match has been signed and sealed

by the

two federations.



He added that Safa will announce the venue

after

discussions

with Baxter and his technical staff.



Johannesburg, Durban and Bloemfontein are reported to be bidding

to host

the match which is expected to attract football lovers from as

far as

Botswana, Zimbabwe and Swaziland.



The two football federations have agreed that Nigeria will

select their

strongest possible squad, which is expected to include the big

names

like

Jay-Jay Okocha, Yakubu Aiyegbeni and Obafemi Martins.



The game affords South Africa a golden opportunity to beat

Nigeria for

the

first time at international level since the country's return to the

international community in 1992.



The best result at national level when Basetsana (the South

African

Under-19 national squad) played to a goalless draw with Nigeria

during

the

World Cup qualifier in Abuja last month.

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