Orlando Pirates striker Thamsanqa Gabuza was axed from the team following his errant behaviour in Durban last week.
The club has put a lid on the circumstances regarding the absence of the bulldozing striker from the match-day squad that took on Cape Town City in midweek.
When asked about Gabuza's absence in the post-match press conference after the Buccaneers beat the Citizens 1-0 on Tuesday night, coach Milutin "Micho" Sredojevic kept his cards close to his chest.
"There is something that needs to be kept within the team that we don't want to put out in public," said the 48-year-old Serb."But we want to tell you that he [Gabuza] has been out of the team for reasons known by us and we are not ready to reveal them."
The Sunday Times can reveal the reason for the striker's exclusion - he went Awol from camp after the goalless draw with Maritzburg United at the Harry Gwala Stadium last Saturday.
A source informed this newspaper that "Gabuza left the hotel and camp without permission. When he returned he claimed that he was sitting outside the hotel with his wife.
"But what is bizarre is that the team security say when they realised that he was missing, they looked for him outside but never saw him.
"Now this is a transgression on his part. It is very important to establish discipline in the team."The move to drop Gabuza is seen as a stern warning to the rest of the squad by the new coaching staff led by Sredojevic and his assistant Rhulani Mokwena.
The new coaching staff are hellbent on nipping errant behaviour in the bud as they bid to breathe life into a Bucs crew that has been beset by a myriad of problems in recent times, with the playing personnel hogging the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Player ill-discipline largely contributed to Pirates enduring a wrought campaign last season.
Three coaches - Muhsin Ertugral, Augusto Palacios and Kjell Jonevret - failed to stem the tide of disobedience. As a result, Pirates imploded to an 11th spot finish in the Premier Soccer League's log standings.Not only was that failure punctuated by tennis-score drubbings by SuperSport United (6-1) and Mamelodi Sundowns (6-0), it was also accentuated by zero trophies in the year of their 80th anniversary.
This term, however, things have started brightly for the Buccaneers as Sredojevic seeks to drag them out of the doldrums.
Before last night's match away to out-of-sorts champions Bidvest Wits, the Sea Robbers were in third spot, having amassed 11 points from three victories and two draws; scoring four goals and conceding one. They have achieved two extra points than the nine they had at this time last season.Gabuza's goal secured a full complement of points for Pirates when they beat Chippa United 1-0 at Orlando Stadium in their opening match of the 2017/18 Absa Premiership season last month.
With Pirates losing Zimbabwean international striker Tendai Ndoro to Saudi Arabia's Al-Faisaly during the transfer window last month, Gabuza has assumed the main marksman status at the club.
The fact that the technical team opted to start without an out-and-out striker against the Citizens - Thabiso Kutumela and Lyle Foster were only introduced in the second half - further signifies the significance of the former Durban Stars and Lamontville Golden Arrows forward in the Pirates set-up...