- Broos expressed his disappointment over Blom's situation
- Bafana coach feels St Louis deliberately keeping midfielder
- Belgian tactician has threatened to report MLS club to Fifa
WHAT HAPPENED? Broos revealed his disappointment at the way the MLS club has handled communication around the former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder's situation given he will need him for the national team in this month's 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Blom joined St Louis City from the Glamour Boys last December and has featured in the first two games for the MLS new boys, who have recorded three straight wins under South African coach Bradley Carnell.
The 23-year-old was a first-half substitute in St Louis' season opener against Austin and started the second game at home to Charlotte. However, he was not in the squad for the away clash at Portland, eliciting fear among the Bafana Bafana technical bench after he had been included in the preliminary squad.
WHAT DID HE SAY? "First of all, okay, we will see how things are going in the next hours, but Njabulo played the first two games [for St Louis]; in the last game, he didn't play, so we immediately had contact with the club to ask what's happening," explained Broos, as per SABC.
"They said, 'Oh, it's not so hard [sic], ; he'sick.' Okay, he's sick, but what is he sick [with]? So, we had contact with Njabulo, and he said, 'Yeah, I don't feel so good; I think I have Covid.'
"I said, 'Okay, but do a test, and then we will see if you have Covid – test it.' So, today it's Thursday, and we've been speaking since Tuesday already. Yesterday [Wednesday], we got a mail from St Louis at 5pm that the coaching and medical staff were discussing the situation."
"We are now 20 hours later, and haven't had an answer until now. Am I nervous? No, I'm angry. This is not correct. You tell us, 'Oh, this is the problem. He has Covid.' Okay, we have to change, but when the situation is unclear, you start thinking about things that may not exist.
"But I saw that in America, there is a league game next week – 26th [March] they play, and the team of [Bongokuhle] Hlongwane, but with him, there is no problem, so I'm afraid that they are trying to keep Njabulo there. That will not happen, we know the rules.
"So, if he doesn't come with a correct reason, he will not play with them because then we'll go to Fifa. I'm very angry about that, really."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Blom has just one cap for South Africa, having made his debut in the World Cup qualifier against Ghana in September 2021, but is set to feature prominently, given he is among just four midfielders named by Broos on Thursday.
WHAT'S NEXT? All eyes will be on Safa to see which steps they will take if Blom does not make it for the qualifiers.
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