HOW MINE’S 2015 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League preparations have been hampered by injuries as nine of their senior players are nursing injuries sustained during their pre-season training.
THANDIWE MOYO SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
Former ZPC Kariba’s veteran forward Limited Chikaka dislocated his right jaw. Tawanda Muparati, Benard Donovan, Nyasha Mukumbi, Charles Sibanda all have knee injuries while Benjamin Marere has a knee injury and a pulled muscle.
Morris Kadzola and Menard Mupera have ankle injuries and Devon Chafa is nursing a shoulder injury.
It would appear it’s a blessing in disguise for head coach Luke Masomere that the league will only be starting in 11 days as his camp resembles a casualty ward.
“I do not know when the season starts. There is a lot of confusion. First we were told that it is starting on the 7th now we do not know when,” Masomere said.
Masomere said the injured players have not been training for the past couple of weeks and this has affected their preparations as they cannot organise friendly matches.
“They are not training. We have had no friendly matches in the past couple of weeks because of the injuries. It’s as though we are planning to fail,” he said.
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The former Shabanie Mine gaffer laid some blame on the media saying: “The injuries are caused by the media. They are writing and talking highly of How Mine saying it is the team to beat. While this is good it is causing a lot of damage to How Mine as a team. They cannot be the team to beat. How Mine has been consistent like most teams in the league.”
“When we play friendly matches the teams that we play against want to prove themselves and in the end we get injuries. Like in the game against Black Boots, Limited Chikafa was trying to head the ball and someone had his elbow out that is how he dislocated his jaw. I am not bitter that is how the players are marketed,” said Masomere.
Kadzola and Donovan were named in the Under-23 squad for the All-Africa Games qualifiers but have not joined camp due to their injuries.
“I spoke to (Kalisto) Pasuwa (Under-23 head coach) and we agreed that if they are injured they should rest. There is no point in sending injured players for national duty. If they improve they will join the team. We do not want to tarnish the image of the country by having injured players play,” said Masomere.
The championship winning coach with AmaZulu, said they had cancelled all friendly matches and that their first match will be against Chapungu and by then they hope that the players would be injury-free.
