Kaizer Chiefs will have five of their first team players in action across the African Continent next weekend, when qualification matches for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations to be staged in Ghana resume. On Thursday afternoon Bafana Bafana coach Carlos Alberto Parreira named three Chiefs players in his squad to travel to N’djamena in Chad, for a group eleven qualifying match in the land locked Central African Nation with a population of around 9 million.

Parreira has called up a mixed team consisting of players who ply their trade in the PSL, as well as a number of players based abroad particularly in Europe, from a Chiefs angle. Parreira, who had four Amakhosi players in his squad that drew with Swaziland in a Training match on Tuesday, has opted to omit Chiefs midfield playmaker Scara Ngobese for the trip to Chad. A further change by Parreira, which affects Amakhosi personnel, sees Jimmy Tau exit to make way for Cyril Nzama the Chiefs captain getting a recall to the national team after missing the Swaziland encounter.

While Tau and Ngobese have been unable to retain their places Rowen Fernandez continues to impress Parreira and keeps his spot, and so too does Siyabonga Nkosi who should have sufficiently have recovered from an ankle injury to be able to make the journey to Chad. Amakhosi captain Cyril Nzama although surprised by his recall, is pleased to be back in the national team fold saying, “after not being called up for the Swaziland game I really did not think that I would be going to Chad. I must add that this is a surprise to me, and I will go to the national team hoping to again give my best and ensure that the country gets closer to qualifying for Ghana in 2008”.

As Nzama, Fernandez and Nkosi prepare for what could be an arduous trip to N’djamena, Tinashe Nengomasha will make the short journey from Johannesburg to Harare to team up with the Zimbabwean national team. As they prepare to face up to the ‘Atlas Lions’ of Morocco in a group 12 encounter, with just three teams in the group the other being Malawi Nengomasha believes there can be no slip ups next weekend in Harare. “If you look at the way our group is placed one bad result and you can say goodbye to going to Ghana next year, the fact is that we playing a difficult opponent in Morocco but we do have home ground advantage and must make that work in our favour”.

Perhaps the Chiefs player with the toughest challenge during next weekends Nations Cup Qualifying games will be David Obua, who will lead the Ugandan national team out against Nigeria as they fight for supremacy in Group 3. Which also includes Lesotho and Niger, Chiefs player of the season last term Obua believes that the challenge facing the Kranes is not a daunting one, and that playing against the likes of Lille Olympique striker Peter Odemwingie will only make him stronger.

“I have spoken to a couple of the Ugandan players who play in South African and we have come to a consensus, that we will not stand on ceremony and as we have nothing to lose we will give the Nigerians a run for their money. Coming face to face with the likes of Odemwingie and Julius Agahowa will be a good test for me, and I do feel that I have done all the pre-examination rituals to come through it” said Obua.

While Obua and Nengomasha will leave over the weekend to team up with Ugandan and Zimbabwean national teams respectively, Chiefs Bafana Bafana three will go into camp on the 18th March and will return from Chad after the game on the 24th which will be played at the Stade Omnisports in N’djamena.

All the players are expected back at training by coach Kosta Papic on the 26th March, which will give The Amakhosi coach ample time to work together with his team as they prepare for their PSL match against Moroka Swallows scheduled for the 1st April.