Notoane confident Chauke will make SA U23's AFCON qualifier

Chauke, who arrived in the country on Monday and trained with the team on Tuesday, missed training on Wednesday to attend to issues of his passport. 

Notoane is confident that Chauke, a product of the famed Southampton Academy, will be in the team come kick-off time at Dobsonville Stadium this afternoon (15h00).

"Ja, Kgaogelo should be available, it was a matter of just getting his passport, which has been sitting at the Mamelodi office for some months now," explained the coach.

"These are the challenges we face within the national team setup with these players. So, of course [Tuesday] being a holiday didn't help our cause to try and get his documentation sorted.

"But he should be ok and available, my only worry is his recovery, having travelled a long trip to South Africa, and then, of course, the ups and downs because they need his finger at Home Affairs to get his passport.

"So, if you could cut that finger and send it to Home Affairs, we would have done that and kept him fresh in the camp, but it is what it is. 

"He's a talented player and hopefully tomorrow [Thursday], he'll be fresh enough to make a meaningful contribution in the game, which is what we're monitoring at the moment."

The SA U23s will have to beat Congo in this two-legged tie, with the winner qualifying for the AFCON U23 in Morocco in July, where the top three countries will go on to represent Africa at the Paris 2024 Olympics.