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Mix-up ends Burkina's SA camp

Cape Town - Burkina Faso have had to abandon plans to hold a one week training camp in South Africa because their federation forgot to get the correct visas.

Coach Paul Putt asked to take his squad out of the troubled west African country, where the long-standing president Blaise Compaore was deposed last month and there have been anti-corruption riots, and spend this week in the tranquility of South Africa before their African Nations Cup qualifier with Lesotho in Maseru on Saturday.

But now they will only be able to transit through the country on their way to the mountain kingdom.

At first the Burkinabe claimed that South Africa was not letting their squad into the country because of fears over Ebola but it turns out that was a made-up story to cover up for an error at federation level.

Instead the Burkinabe federation have now admitted they erred by asking for transit visas instead of one-week visas and now can only pass through South Africa but not stay.

South Africa is a happy hunting ground for the Burkinabe who finished runners-up at the last African Nations Cup finals.

They played all but one of their matches in Nelspruit and then the final against Nigeria at Soccer City.

Burkina Faso, known as the ‘Stallions’, are well placed to qualify for the next Nations Cup as they lie second in Group C, behind Gabon.

After the Lesotho match, Burkina host Angola in Ouagadougou in their last group game on Wednesday, November 19.

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