FAROUK Khan, a long-time mentor of May Mahlangu, said yesterday that the midfielder had shamed Stars of Africa, the football academy that took him in when he was only 15, by refusing to honour a Bafana Bafana call-up.

Khan is the technical director at Stars of Africa and looked after Mahlangu until two years ago.

On Tuesday the IFK Goteborg player asked to be excused from Bafana's Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Sudan and Nigeria, citing "fatigue". Safa responded by banning him from all national team activities.

Khan explained: "May has forgotten his roots, something we believe we taught all our players at the academy. This is a player with immense potential and a big future, but [he] has caused us heartache because of the decisions he has taken along with whoever is advising him now.

"I was never his agent, but more of a father when I took him from nothing as a 15-year-old and helped mould his career until he joined Rob Moore's stable two years ago. I am not attacking Rob, but I think he needs to take responsibility for May's future. This decision, one that indicates that May is unpatriotic, has shamed and saddened us."

Khan argued that the Safa ban would hurt Mahlangu's chances of furthering his career abroad. He also labelled the player's excuse a poor one.

"He has cut off his nose to spite his face. Top clubs will judge him by the number of caps he has for the national team. How can a player say he is tired when he has to play for his national team? That's a rubbish excuse.

"The only thing that can keep you out is injuries and if you play for a club that does not have the qualified personnel to help you remain fresh, and that is not the case at IFK Goteborg."