UK-based Chauke gets last-gasp passport for U-23 clash against Congo

England-based central midfielder Kgaogelo Chauke became available at the 11th hour, having received his South African passport, for the first leg of the SA Under-23s' crucial Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) clash against Congo-Brazzaville at Dobsonville Stadium on Thursday.

The winners of the tie progress to the 2023 U-23 Nations Cup in Morocco in June and July.

The 20-year-old Chauke, who turns out for League One (third-tier) side Exeter City on loan from Southampton, missed South Africa’s training session on Wednesday as he was sorting out his passport.

“It was a matter of getting his South African passport, which has been sitting in the Mamelodi office for some months now,” SA U-23 coach David Notoane said just before the matter was resolved on Thursday evening.

“These are the challenges we face with these players in the national team set-up. On Tuesday it was a holiday and that didn’t help to get his documentation sorted but he should be OK and available for the match.”

Notoane said he is a bit concerned that Chauke, who travelled to South Africa on his English passport, had to spend time and energy running around trying to sort out his documentation.

“My worry is his recovery, having travelled a long way. Of course there were the local ups and downs because they needed his fingerprints at home affairs for his passport.

“If it were possible to cut his finger and send it to Home Affairs and keep him fresh in the camp we would have done that but it is what it is. He is a talented player and hopefully on Thursday he will be fresh enough to make a meaningful contribution in the game — we are monitoring his situation.”

Notoane said Chauke adds much-needed midfield forcefulness to the U-23s.

“Physically, his presence adds to our midfield. He has  good technique and deft touches on the ball, and likes combination play from what I saw in the permutations we were trying at training.

“One would like to see his potential and making box-to-box entries but he is a guy who can also make the team play.”

To make his debut, Chauke will have to fend off competition from the likes of Jayden Adams (Stellenbosch FC), Samkelo Zwane (Kaizer Chiefs) and Christos Retsos (Aris Petroupolis, Greece).

Notoane said his team have an idea of what to expect from the Congolese.

“We have analysed what the opponents are about, we know their strong points and weaknesses. With regards to our team, it is mixed [strength] if you look at youth international competitions.

“We have tried to find a balance of continuity with the players who were in the Togo camp and are also looking at bringing in players who we had called up initially for that camp but were unavailable.

“We have put together a team that can give us a result against Congo in this first leg.”

The second leg in Congo is on Monday.

An undercooked SA U-23 beat Togo on away goals (2-2 away and 0-0 at home) in the previous round. The top three teams in Morocco qualify for the 2024 Olympics in Paris while the fourth-placed team will play the Asia-Africa playoffs to decide the final slot.

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