South Africa coach Molefi Ntseki has refused to shut the door on covidiot Bongani Zungu - but admits he is “disappointed” by the midfielder’s breach.
Zungu was one of five Rangers players fined by police after being caught at a house party in Glasgow earlier this month in contravention of coronavirus protocols.
The 28-year-old Amiens loanee now finds himself in the wilderness at Ibrox.
But South Africa coach Ntseki has denied saying that Zungu would be ruled out of his squad for next month’s African Cup of Nations double header against Ghana and Sudan.
The experienced Bafana Bafana boss told SAfmRadio: “I did not say that Bongani Zungu will not be called up to Bafana next month. We still need to assess the situation.
“But I'm pleading with our players not to become celebrities but focus on their football.
“There’s nothing formal that has come our way.
“If anyone has to pick up the phone and say ‘Zungu, what happened?’ it would be like we were judging him.
“So, it’s better to approach it with caution and wait for all the facts.
“We are disappointed, but at the same time we are saying let us approach the whole thing with caution and calmness.”
Zungu apologised to Rangers supporters for his actions earlier today.
But his days at Ibrox look numbered. When asked if the covid breach would blow apart his chances of landing a permanent deal, Steven Gerrard responded last week: “I think that would be fair to say, yes”.
Despite making 16 appearances since his loan switch from France, the midfielder has failed to catch fire at Ibrox.
He said: “I’d like to apologise to the Rangers fans. It’s been a great season so far for the club and my message is I’d like to apologise and hope the fans can continue to support us and we can put this behind us and focus on the future.”
