South Africa Under-20 coach Raymond Mdaka has expressed uncertainty about the make-up of his squad with the 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations just over a week away.

Mdaka named his 21-man party on April 10 for the tournament in Egypt, although Shandre Campbell was a notable absentee after Club Brugge refused to release him for international duty.

Reports have also suggested that Orlando Pirates could do the same with Mbekezeli Mbokazi, who has emerged as a key player for the club since making his Betway Premiership debut against Chippa United on March 5.

Mdaka is keeping his fingers crossed that other top-flight teams will make their players available despite the African showpiece taking place during a crucial stage of the season and he’ll have a better idea of how his team will look when the players arrive at camp on Sunday.

“These are some of the things I don’t even want to think of and talk about because it’s a situation that one did not expect – more so because throughout, we had positive communication with the teams and we felt we’re going to have [Mbokazi],” Mdaka told Sports Night Amplified on Metro FM.

“It’s unfortunate, honestly, you know how much he can do, everybody knows how much he can do, and we know it as the technical team, but we just have to make sure we close the case or the chapter.

“We wouldn’t say we lost because some of the players were not there, we shall have lost on the field of play, and it’s not something good for us.

“Even now if someone were to say, ‘Coach Ray, talk about the players’, I wouldn’t because we are still in process of registering and we are not sure who might say what tomorrow.

“The only one they are saying, that we knew even before we could release the team, was Shandre because they had written an email to say, due to the challenges of him being in the first team, [they cannot release him].

“Even as we speak now, I was saying to Mninwa [Ntloko, SAFA communications head], I can only confirm on Monday, when everybody is there, to say this is where we are in terms of the players.

“I cross my fingers, I don’t even want to talk about that because I don’t want blows – and due to the situation, blows might be there.”

Amajita have been drawn in Group A alongside Egypt, Zambia, Sierra Leone and Tanzania, with their first game scheduled for April 27 against the host nation.