Uruguayan midfielder Gaston Sirino now has the greenlight to become eligible for Bafana Bafana.
Sirino – who has never been capped at any level for two-time World champions – has found himself under severe debate over the possibility of being called up for the senior national team in recent weeks.
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The 31-year-old completed five years in the country last month and this making him eligible for Bafana with his club coach Rulani Mokwena stressing that the naturalisation of good players shouldn't be of surprise to South Africans.
At the recent World Cup, as many as 136 players represented countries other than the one where they were born and Sirino now qualifies for Bafana through naturalisation by residence.
According to the CAF Champions' League group stages registrations, Sirino is using a South African passport.
His passport number starts with D4 and ends with 7 with his registration captured under the names Leandro Rodriguez Sirino.
With that South African passport Sirino can now play for Bafana if he agrees to the call-up.
According to the CAF registrations for Sundowns, four players who are not eligible for Bafana are registered on South African passports.
This is so after they acquired permanent residence permits having been in the country for at least five years.
The four are Peter Taanyanda Shalulile (Namibian), Brian Mandela Onyango (Kenya), Kennedy Mweene (Zambia), and Denis Onyango.
Chilean international Marcelo Allende is listed under a passport from Uruguay.
Allende played for two-and-a-half years at Montevideo City Torque in Uruguay where multiple citizenships are allowed.
The Uruguayan passport is available to those that have been resident in the country for three years (married) and five years (single).
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