Bafana Bafana Coach Stuart Baxter announced a 23-man squad on Sunday for the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt later this month.
Baxter had to trim the squad from 30 players just before the team departed earlier on Monday for a mini camp in Dubai.
Overseas-based defenders Joel Untersee and Nikola Tavares were not considered due to paper work issues, while Rivaldo Coetzee went to visit his ill mother but never reported back for camp.
Keagan Dolly withdrew after he was injured during the Cosafa Cup.
Baxter only had to drop Kermit Erasmus, Fortune Makaringe and Ben Motshwari for the final squad.
Bafana are paired in same group as Ivory Coast, Morocco and Namibia.
Makaringe and Motshwari were the likely players to be omitted due to their lack of experience, while Erasmus had a frosty relationship with the coach in the past.
Bafana left for Dubai on Monday where they will play a friendly match against Ghana on Saturday and Angola on the 19th in Egypt, according to Baxter.
Bafana struggled to get friendly matches at home. Baxter says they tried to organise opponents who were playing in the Cosafa cup but to no avail.
Baxter was disappointed they could not secure a friendly match at home. – Report by Vincent Sitsula
