The pair met for talks in Johannesburg on Wednesday morning after the Blackburn striker failed to turn up for the team's opening training session on Monday.

No details were given for the reasons behind McCarthy's withdrawal, but the player himself cited "family issues" for his decision.

The 2010 World Cup hosts are currently preparing for a tough opening qualifier against Nigeria in Abuja at the weekend.

"I had a frank, but good discussion with Benni where we listened with full attention to what he had to say," said Santana.

"We appreciate the situation that he has explained to us and we therefore fully understand the personal circumstances that he finds himself under."

However, the Brazilian warned McCarthy that a similar situation in the future will not be tolerated.

He added: "Benni is one of the best players in the world and that cannot be ignored. The door has been left open to him for the future, but it will also be up to him.

"I put our position very clearly to him that we want this to be the last time we have to talk about him.

"We have important games now that we want to focus on. I have just arrived in South Africa and I have a job to do."

Last year McCarthy, who has a history of disciplinary problems, was talked out of an 18-month international exile by South Africa's previous coach Carlos Alberto Parreira.

After helping the country qualify for the 2008 African Nations Cup late last year, he was surprisingly left out of the squad for the tournament in Ghana as Parreira opted for a number of younger players with a view to the 2010 World Cup.

Speaking after Wednesday's discussion with Santana, the 30-year-old McCarthy admitted he was grateful to the new coach for releasing him.

He said: "I have great respect for coach Santana and appreciate that he understood my current family issues.

"Admittedly, I must say that I'm a little bit disappointed that I won't feature in any of the four qualifiers but then I understand that the coach does not want me to disrupt his camp.

"On the other hand, it gives me an opportunity to address my personal issues and I hope I will be called in future."

Apart from missing the game against the Nigerians, McCarthy will also sit out both ties with Sierra Leone and the clash with Equatorial Guinea.

However, he is confident they can begin the campaign with a bang on Sunday with victory in West Africa.

He added: "I am happy with the coach and wish the team the best of luck in the coming crucial matches.

"I also hope that my team-mates will do us proud against Nigeria by believing in themselves, like I believe in them. I am confident that they will go in there and fight for the three points at stake."