Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has emphasised the need to look after players with his club having 11 players away during the March FIFA calendar dates.
Sundowns have nine players in the Bafana squad in Ronwen Williams, Aubrey Modiba, Grant Kekana, Khuliso Mudau, Teboho Mokoena, Jayden Adams, Bathusi Aubaas, Thapelo Morena, and Iqraam Rayners,
Peter Shalulile is with Namibia, while Divine Lunga will link up with Zimbabwe.
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With the heavy schedule faced by the Tshwane giants – who have already played 16 games this year and still faced with a tight schedule ahead – it becomes a topic of interest.
"Obviously, it is incredible pleasure for the club, for myself, and my staff, and for the players that we have such a big number of players in the national team," says Cardoso.
"Clearly, that is what we work for.
"Also, happy to see that we have players in the U20 national team and the CHAN national team doing well.
"It is clear in the objective of our work that our players are promoted individual in a level that allows them to be called up and represent South Africa.
"Obviously, there is an impact in that as we will play the Champions League and the Nedbank Cup and have to cope with the fact that if those players play the two matches in the national team, we need to take care of them.
"It is not good that this match (against Pirates) was put on Sunday because even for the national team, the players will go immediately after the game and not have even one day to rest.
"That is why the match should have been played on Saturday so that the players that go for the national team can be respected in terms of how to rest and play at a good level in the national team.
"Football players are not machines.
"They are human beings, They have families.
"They have their social life and have the physicality that should be respected and sometimes we demand performances from players all the time even when they are dying and not capable to perform in the best way.
"Sometimes it is impossible to perform at the level we expect.
"I hope that, with the experienced coach in the national team, he will understand that he needs to rest players to have a performance that we all want to see in the national team because that is what the club wants.
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"We will have more players that will go to their national teams, like Divine Lunga and Peter Shalulile.
"But we are here to manage it.
"It is my job, and I will try to do it in the best way possible," says Cardoso.