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Johannesburg - Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane has admitted he had no choice but to drop Aaron Mokoena from his squad to face Egypt in next Saturday's vital African Nations Cup qualifier at Ellis Park.
The absence of the Portsmouth central defender, who has earned 104 caps since making his national debut in 1998, was the major shock at Tuesday's squad announcement.
But with 'Mbazo' not having started any of his club's last seven matches in the English Championship, Mosimane believes the time has come to look to the future.
"We will need all our experienced players for a big match like this but we also need to move forward," he said.
"I love and respect Aaron and have protected him when all the wolves were against him but please allow me to select the team. He has given us his best as the captain but this time he is not in the team I have selected."
Mosimane refused to discuss his surprising decision further but he will now choose between Golden Arrows' Siyabonga Sangweni and Morgan Gould of SuperSport United to partner Bongani Khumalo in the central defence.
Bafana go into the match at the top of Group G and with a great chance to move six points clear of the Pharaohs with a victory, although the coach is under no illusions about the challenge ahead.
"There has been a lot of talk about Egypt and whether they will be ready but we are playing one of the most experienced teams around and the three-time champions of Africa," he said.
"Everything is stable there now and I have told my players to start focussing on the match now and not even think about other factors. I believe this is a match where we need all our senior players to take the leadership.
"They have played in the Confederations Cup and the World Cup before and played big matches against Spain, Brazil and France so they have to come to the party this time."
Mosimane added: "We don't need to get emotional about this game. It is only the third in the group and there are plenty of matches to follow.
"We should first be cautious but also try to maximise our opportunity of playing at home. We don't want to have to rely on anyone else's results."
The absence of the Portsmouth central defender, who has earned 104 caps since making his national debut in 1998, was the major shock at Tuesday's squad announcement.
But with 'Mbazo' not having started any of his club's last seven matches in the English Championship, Mosimane believes the time has come to look to the future.
"We will need all our experienced players for a big match like this but we also need to move forward," he said.
"I love and respect Aaron and have protected him when all the wolves were against him but please allow me to select the team. He has given us his best as the captain but this time he is not in the team I have selected."
Mosimane refused to discuss his surprising decision further but he will now choose between Golden Arrows' Siyabonga Sangweni and Morgan Gould of SuperSport United to partner Bongani Khumalo in the central defence.
Bafana go into the match at the top of Group G and with a great chance to move six points clear of the Pharaohs with a victory, although the coach is under no illusions about the challenge ahead.
"There has been a lot of talk about Egypt and whether they will be ready but we are playing one of the most experienced teams around and the three-time champions of Africa," he said.
"Everything is stable there now and I have told my players to start focussing on the match now and not even think about other factors. I believe this is a match where we need all our senior players to take the leadership.
"They have played in the Confederations Cup and the World Cup before and played big matches against Spain, Brazil and France so they have to come to the party this time."
Mosimane added: "We don't need to get emotional about this game. It is only the third in the group and there are plenty of matches to follow.
"We should first be cautious but also try to maximise our opportunity of playing at home. We don't want to have to rely on anyone else's results."
