Leading South African striker Lyle Foster recently returned to competitive soccer for the first time in almost two months. The 23-year-old was sidelined while tending to mental health issues.

His return to action may have given Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos hope that his talismanic forward can be part of his final 23-man team for the first-approaching Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon). The tournament kicks off on 13 January 2024, in Ivory Coast.

Foster, who had been absent from his English Premier League club Burnley since playing on 21 October (when his team were drubbed 3-0 by Brentford), made a welcome return to the relegation-threatened Clarets’ first-team fold in mid-December.

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos talks to the media at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on 17 November 2023. (Photo: Darren Stewart / Gallo Images)

Hit the ground running

In his first start since his layoff, he played 65 minutes and provided an assist as Burnley beat Fulham 2-0, taking his numbers for the season to three goals and three assists in 10 matches.

Foster is an important player for the Clarets as they seek to ensure they do not fall back into the second tier of English soccer a season after making a return to the top flight.

He is just as important for any hopes of Bafana Bafana making a splash in their first appearance at Afcon since the 2019 edition in Egypt, where they reached the quarterfinals.

Foster would be important to any hopes that this current crop of Bafana Bafana players have of at least emulating their 2019 showing at the biennial continental soccer spectacle.

The problem, though, for Bafana’s Belgian boss Broos is that Burnley are adamant that their star striker is not ready to play at Afcon.

The club, through manager and former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany, has hinted that the pressures of the showpiece, as well as suddenly being in a foreign environment, may be a setback for the former Orlando Pirates player’s progress to date.

“It is not even my decision, it’s not up to me. He just can’t. It is the medical advice we are getting at the moment,” Kompany told the Burnley Express a week ago.

Lyle Foster of Burnley battles with Christian Norgaard of Brentford during a Premier League match at Gtech Community Stadium in Brentford, England, on 21 October 2023. (Photo: Vince Mignott / MB Media / Getty Images)

Though he represented and captained the Belgian national team for years, Kompany is of African descent, through his Congolese father.

As such, he stated that he understood the desire Foster will have to represent his country on the Afcon stage. But he said the striker’s mental well-being should be the primary priority.  

“The conflict, of course, is that he loves to play for his country. Even from my side, the Afcon is a big trophy. It’s a big competition. It’s important for me as an African coach to support the competition, but it’s not up to me. I just relay,” Kompany stated.

“We have done everything for the human being to this point, there’s no reason to change all of a sudden now.”

Nevertheless, the forward is part of the 50-man preliminary Afcon squad that Broos named a few weeks ago. Another key forward in the bloated squad is France-based Lebo Mothiba.

Bafana Bafana players train at the TUKS High Performance Centre in Pretoria on 13 November 2023. (Photo: Lefty Shivambu / Gallo Images)

Lyle Foster of Burnley and Thiago Silva of Chelsea in action during a Premier League match at Turf Moor in Burnley on 7 October 2023. (Photo: Visionhaus / Getty Images)

The Strasbourg striker has since been ruled out of action for months after suffering a serious knee injury recently. Which means the absence of Foster will be felt even more if he decides to miss Afcon.

Though there would be cover for the duo’s absence. The profile of the two burly forwards, and what they bring to the pitch, is irreplaceable. As is their international experience.

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That’s why, even given current facts, Broos will be keeping his fingers crossed that Foster can make it to Ivory Coast. But the 71-year-old Belgian will want to tread carefully, lest he pushes the 23-year-old into a relapse.

Bafana Bafana are set to assemble for their pre-Afcon camp on 4 January, a few days after the Premier Soccer League (PSL) halts its programme. The South African Football Association (Safa) had hoped for an earlier break in the domestic season.

However, the PSL has forged ahead with its festive season schedule – to the ire of Broos and Safa.

The 1996 African champions are in a group with Tunisia, Mali and Namibia for the 34th edition of the event. They open their campaign against Mali on 16 January, before facing neighbours Namibia five days later. They close the mini-league phase against group favourites Tunisia on 24 January. DM