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Johannesburg - Shakes Mashaba has challenged the PSL to "stand in front of me and say I'm lying" following allegations the South Africa Under-23 coach did not submit and Under-23 programme to the league.
'Baby Bafana' left for the two upcoming friendlies in Algeria on Wednesday with only 16 players following mass confusion between the PSL and the South African Football Association.
PSL chairman Dr Irvin Khoza said the situation could have been avoided had Mashaba forwarded his programme to the league for their consideration in advance, but Mashaba is having none of it, stating Khoza's claims are "lies".
"I can't tell lies that I gave them the programme when I didn't - I wouldn't have done that," Mashaba told Football365.co.za.
"I asked (the PSL) to please notify the chairman he must stop going on with this thing because it is going to cause problems. He must go into his organisation and find out how far has this (programme discussion) has gone, but nothing was done. I was shocked when I was listening to the chairman on Wednesday morning on Lesedi FM and he was insisting, stamping his foot on the ground, saying I haven't submitted a plan to the PSL.
"But I'm not going to make this a personal issue and from where I'm sitting, my conscious is clear. My worry is, I would have expected that the chairman of the PSL would call me and give me an opportunity to go sit with him to talk about this issue instead of going public like that. I'm worried," Mashaba added.
"It started with the Under-20s in 1997, through to my days with Bafana Bafana and now it is happening again. Help me people. It has always been me and the chairman and someone in the street will think there is something we are fighting over, but it is not personal. However, to come out blatantly and say I didn't submit a plan when I did that, that alone is not right. That means I'm a liar.
"What I'm saying is I'm not a liar. I did submit a plan. I want the three gentlemen who were representing the PSL in a meeting that we had with them when I submitted my plan to come out and say I'm lying. I want Jonathan and Ronnie Schloss to come out. I want Derek Blanckensee to come out and stand in front of me and say I'm lying. I want them to come and stand in front of me and say that," Mashaba concluded.
Khoza has since called a press conference scheduled for 12:30 on Thursday when he is expected to respond to Mashaba's allegations.
