South Africa make final AFCON decision on Lyle Foster following striker's recently Burnley return

The 23-year-old surprisingly featured in their preliminary 50-man squad earlier this month ahead of the upcoming tournament, which takes place in Ivory Coast from January 13 to February 11.

But after the initial squad was announced, Burnley boss Vincent Kompany revealed Foster was in no position to link up with his country due to his ongoing mental health battle.

At the start of November, the Clarets confirmed Foster would be taking an indefinite break from football to receive specialist treatment.

The striker has since returned to action, featuring in Burnley’s last three games, but the medical experts insist he still can’t travel.

South Africa have now named their final 23-man squad and Foster has been excluded.

“I think we’ve been pretty conclusive on this. He can’t go,” Kompany said after Foster recently made his return against Everton.

“I’ve made it very clear he loves his country, he loves playing for his country and I consider the tournament an important tournament because I’m an African coach and I want this tournament to be on the same level as the Euros, that’s the importance it has to me.

“But for his own benefit for the human, he needs to stay in a smaller environment, an environment where he still has the support of the experts who got him through the first phase, alongside us as well. It’s nothing more than looking after the human being.”

Kompany is well known to South African coach and fellow Belgian Hugo Broos, who handed him his debut at Anderlecht in 2003.

Asked to comment on Foster’s unavailability when announcing his squad, Broos said it was not his decision and that he “doesn’t understand” the situation.

“We have had a lot of contact with Burnley over the past few weeks and they said forget and it’s impossible, but I still selected him in the provisional squad,” he said, as quoted by the South African Times.

“There is still a danger that there will be problems and I spoke to doctors at Burnley and they said it is impossible for him to play at AFCON.

“I was also surprised to see last week he played the game — it is not my decision but a medical decision. Foster wrote a letter to SAFA [South African FA] saying he didn’t want to assist at AFCON.

“I am not happy that he is not going to be there, but there is nothing I can do about it. I don’t understand the situation, but this is a medical decision and not mine. He still needs 24 hours and seven days' help and we can’t do that at AFCON.

“They told me he was agitated when he was named in the provisional squad and those are not my words. I have it in writing. It is surprising for me, but Foster will not be with us at Afcon and I could not select him. The situation with Foster is complicated.”