BAFANA Bafana striker Kermit Erasmus has dropped a bombshell about his football career.
The 26-year-old forward for Lens in France, where he is on loan from Rennes, said he regretted returning to Mzansi in 2010 and should have fought for his place in Europe. “I’d played in Europe before – coming back to South Africa was a mistake,” said the striker from Port Elizabeth.
“Not that there’s something bad about South African football but coming back was definitely my biggest mistake in my football career so far.
“This loan move to Lens has been good for me. I’m enjoying football and getting a lot of game-time. My family has been very supportive and they are happy that I’m now getting regular play time.”
The ex-Orlando Pirates star is currently in the Bafana Bafana camp in Durban preparing for a friendly against Guinea-Bissau at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday (3pm).
Erasmus is known for not holding back on his opinion, tweeting two years ago that he was not a “back-up player”, which ruined his relationship with axed coach Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba. Their relationship turned sour when he turned to Twitter after turning down a call-up to Bafana when Tokelo Rantie dropped out.
Now that Mashaba has left, Erasmus has returned, responding to the call-up by caretaker coach Owen Da Gama two weeks ago.
At yesterday’s press conference in Durban the former SuperSport United marksman said what happened with the national football association was a thing of a past.
He said: “The important thing now is that I’m here and ready to play for my national team. I can’t talk about what happened in the past, everyone knows what happened.
“All my focus is on enjoying my call-up and making sure I do well for myself and the team.”
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