News / National
Billiat returns to action
31 Mar 2021 at 06:37hrs | Views
WARRIORS forward Khama Billiat yesterday returned to training for Kaizer Chiefs after missing in action for over two months due to a leg fracture he suffered in January.
Chiefs posted a picture of the Zimbabwean international together with the rest of team during their morning training session, an indication that he is now set for a return.
The injury spell forced the 30-yearold to miss Zimbabwe's Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers against Botswana and Zambia.
He also missed several Kaizer Chiefs' DStv Premiership fixtures and Caf Champions League group phase matches since January when he suffered the leg fracture.
The former Mamelodi Sundowns ace returned for the Gavin Huntcoached side 24 hours after former Zimbabwe international forward Wilfred Mugeyi explained the striker's recent injuries.
Mugeyi, who coached Billiat at Ajax Cape Town, opined that stress might be one of the reasons the Kaizer Chiefs star is "forever" injured.
Mugeyi told South African publication, Kick-Off, that personal issues are possibly the reason why Billiat has been injury-prone since he crossed the floor to Kaizer Chiefs in July 2018.
"You know to be honest I am also surprised because if you look when he played for Ajax (Cape Town), when we had Khama at Ajax, Khama was never injured. I don't recall Khama missing a game. And we had three, four years with him.
"At Sundowns, yes, there was a time when he broke his metatarsal. I think he was out for almost three months or something like that. Then from there, he played without injuries.
"But when he went to Chiefs, he played two games and one month he is out. He comes back, three games... two months he is out. So I don't really know what is the problem. As I just said, we signed him (at Ajax) as a 16-year-old. He never missed a game.
"Sometimes, it might be stress. You understand when you play under stress... he might have problems at home, then you are bound to get injuries because your mind is not focused, you are thinking about something else while you are doing something else. Then you are prone to injuries," Mugeyi said.
His return, however, is a massive boost to the Soweto giants who are still struggling for consistency, especially in terms of scoring goals both on the local front and on the African safari.
Meanwhile, news of his return will most likely come as sweet music to Warriors coach Zdravko Logarusic, who was forced to make-do without Billiat and other stars that include Tino Kadewere and Marshall Munetsi for the penultimate Afcon qualifiers which they played on Monday night.
Although the Warriors qualified for the Afcon finals to be staged in Cameroon, Logarusic is now focused on the World Cup qualifiers set to start in June.
And with Billiat available, the Croatian will approach these assignments with some level of security in a bid to cement his position at the helm of the national team.
Zimbabwe will face neighbours South Africa, Ethiopia and Ghana in Group G of the World Cup qualifiers.
Chiefs posted a picture of the Zimbabwean international together with the rest of team during their morning training session, an indication that he is now set for a return.
The injury spell forced the 30-yearold to miss Zimbabwe's Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers against Botswana and Zambia.
He also missed several Kaizer Chiefs' DStv Premiership fixtures and Caf Champions League group phase matches since January when he suffered the leg fracture.
The former Mamelodi Sundowns ace returned for the Gavin Huntcoached side 24 hours after former Zimbabwe international forward Wilfred Mugeyi explained the striker's recent injuries.
Mugeyi, who coached Billiat at Ajax Cape Town, opined that stress might be one of the reasons the Kaizer Chiefs star is "forever" injured.
Mugeyi told South African publication, Kick-Off, that personal issues are possibly the reason why Billiat has been injury-prone since he crossed the floor to Kaizer Chiefs in July 2018.
"You know to be honest I am also surprised because if you look when he played for Ajax (Cape Town), when we had Khama at Ajax, Khama was never injured. I don't recall Khama missing a game. And we had three, four years with him.
"But when he went to Chiefs, he played two games and one month he is out. He comes back, three games... two months he is out. So I don't really know what is the problem. As I just said, we signed him (at Ajax) as a 16-year-old. He never missed a game.
"Sometimes, it might be stress. You understand when you play under stress... he might have problems at home, then you are bound to get injuries because your mind is not focused, you are thinking about something else while you are doing something else. Then you are prone to injuries," Mugeyi said.
His return, however, is a massive boost to the Soweto giants who are still struggling for consistency, especially in terms of scoring goals both on the local front and on the African safari.
Meanwhile, news of his return will most likely come as sweet music to Warriors coach Zdravko Logarusic, who was forced to make-do without Billiat and other stars that include Tino Kadewere and Marshall Munetsi for the penultimate Afcon qualifiers which they played on Monday night.
Although the Warriors qualified for the Afcon finals to be staged in Cameroon, Logarusic is now focused on the World Cup qualifiers set to start in June.
And with Billiat available, the Croatian will approach these assignments with some level of security in a bid to cement his position at the helm of the national team.
Zimbabwe will face neighbours South Africa, Ethiopia and Ghana in Group G of the World Cup qualifiers.
Source - newsday
