Solomons bemoans Da Gama's selections

07 April 2015 - 02:00 By Tshepang Mailwane

Boebie Solomons has questioned the decision to play Premiership bench-warmers in the national under-23 team ahead of National First Division regulars. Solomons, whose side, Cape Town All Stars, is in fifth place in the National First Division with 37 points, and stands a good chance to qualify for the playoffs, believes there is enough talent in the division, and that junior national coaches should attend more lower league matches like Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba, who attends a lot of Premiership matches.Teams in this lower division are obligated to start a minimum of five players who are 23 years old or younger.Under-23 coach Owen da Gama recently picked Simphiwe Mtshweni, Lorendzo Gordinho, Menzi Masuku and Mbongeni Gumede, players who do not get regular Premiership action at their clubs Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.But Da Gama also selected lower-division players such as Clement Ramakgasha of Jomo Cosmos and Khayelihle Shozi of M Tigers in the ABC Motsepe League.Junior national team coaches struggle for players because a lot of their matches fall outside the Fifa international calendar, so even National First Division clubs don't always release players for national duty."We need to do what [Mashaba] does when selecting a senior team, go around the country looking for talent. I don't think it has been done for the junior teams," said Solomons, who was at the Metropolitan Under-19 Premier Cup during his Easter break at the weekend, scouting for talent."Maybe Safa don't have the budget or whatever, but you can't just invite 40 players to a camp and then select a team."You need to go around the country [see a lot of players] then pick a team. They need to watch the First Division games, not do what they did recently - just call up 40 players to a camp. That's nonsense."..

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