Head coach Hugo Broos has revealed the reasons behind the return of Percy Tau to the Bafana Bafana set-up after a lengthy absence, whilst also sending a message to big-name players.
Tau has not been with Bafana since June last year, with Broos leaving him out of the squad due to the instability surrounding his career as well as criticism from South African football fans at the time.
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The Belgian mentor made it no secret his opinion that the former Mamelodi Sundowns man was unhappy at Al Ahly and that he hoped he would secure a move.
Those wishes came true in January when 'Lion of Judah' completed a move to Qatar side Qatar SC and has shown glimpses of his quality with three assists in five appearances thus far.
"The team he was at (Al Ahly) was a fantastic club to play (for), but you have to play," Broos told journalists on Thursday after announcing his squad.
"I have always had the feeling that he was not at the right place.
"It's good to have Tau after a long time of not playing with us. At his previous club, he hardly played. You know, this is not good for a player who doesn't play.
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"I repeat it for the 20th time, players need to play so that when they come to Bafana, the level and intensity are higher. So, if you don't play for three or four weeks, you're not ready. You can be Percy Tau or another big-name player, but you have to play.
"Now, he is playing again with his new team in Qatar, and I'm very happy about it. I think everybody agrees with me when I say Percy Tau is a very good player and that he can help us to qualify for the World Cup," added the head coach.
South Africa will host Lesotho at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Friday, 21 March, then fly to Ivory Coast to face Benin four days later.