Rangers midfielder Bongani Zungu’s COVID breach could result in double punishment with the South African midfielder now likely to miss out on international redemption to go along with his Ibrox exile.
Bafana Bafana boss Molefi Ntseki said the 28-year-old’s lack of gametime in Glasgow was a concern ahead of the resumption of the African Cup of Nations qualifying campaign next month.
The on-loan Amiens midfielder has been restricted to just 16 appearances since arriving at Ibrox last summer, but left manager Steven Gerrard feeling "let down" when he was recorded at a house party in the city earlier this month.
Rangers face an anxious wait to discover whether they will face any further sanctions from Scottish football bosses over the breach, which also saw youngsters Calvin Bassey, Brian Kinnear, Dapo Mebude and Nathan Patterson caught breaking protocols.
Ntseki told TimesLIVE high level talks had taken place between the South African footballing authorities and the Gers’ hierarchy to determine the severity of the rule break.
The national side face Ghana on March 22 before a trip to Sudan eight days later.
And if deemed serious enough, Zungu could face a longer spell out of the game, with SAFA likely to take a dim view of his off-field activities.
He said: "I was in a meeting with the CEO [on Monday] addressing this matter. We can’t be seen to be commenting until we have spoken to the club to find out what happened.
“Maybe by the end of business we will have spoken to the club. Then a follow-up will be made with the player.
“We are very worried about what happened‚ and how is that going to impact negatively on him as a player and on Bafana Bafana.
"The next Fifa week of March 21 to 30 is very important for us. Those are two crucial matches where we have to play to win to qualify. We would have loved to have every player in the country available for selection.
"In incidents like this we should not be punitive and should try to get more information because we need each other for the success of the team and for individual success in their careers."
