The Sunday News
Mandla Ncube, Sports Reporter
WITH soccer players as well as fans eagerly waiting to know when the 2020 season is starting, there is a lot of excitement and hope of a fruitful campaign.
But the same cannot be said of one Innocent Kutsanzira whose nasty injury seven months ago continues to prevent him from playing, let alone kick a ball.
Kutsanzira last kicked a ball for Bulawayo City on 16 August 2019 against CIWU FC before leaving the field of play on a stretcher having broken his tibia and fibula bone on his leg. He is however, on the recovery path and is working hard at the gym where he has been strengthening his legs.
“This has been a very painful period for me, my wish has always been to play abroad but then with this injury my chances of that are now very slim. However I have now shifted focus to getting onto the field of play locally” Kutsanzira said.
Kutsanzira finds his future filled with bigger question marks with no clue to any possible answers. The player’s contract with Bulawayo City runs out come month end and to make matters worse doctors are yet to give the player the greenlight as to when could he possibly return to the field of play to resume his career.
Innocent Kutsanzira
“For now, my status in the team is unclear because there hasn’t been direct communication with me regarding my future but I am just waiting for the team’s response as I am supposed to go to a review and maybe then I will be told of my status,” said Kutsanzira.
Injuries have in the past robbed football fans some of the game’s finest talents even forcing some into early retirement. Well aware of the mental taxation that comes with overcoming such injuries, Kutsanzira says he has gone to the extent of utilising counsellors to prepare himself psychologically for any possible relapses.
“Problems with lengthy injuries is that once you get injured it gets difficult as minor injuries begin to pop up every now and then and as for me I have been going for counselling because the doctor told me that at times with injuries of this nature you need to heal even mentally in order to fully recover,” Kutsanzira said.
Even with City ambiguous on his future, Kutsanzira’s window of opportunity is not entirely shuttered as the Bulawayo City coach, Philani “Beefy” Ncube is a huge fan of the midfielder’s talent having been the one who pushed for his signing back in 2015.
A constant feature in the City engine room last season playing all the games till his injury chipping in with two goals in the process, Kutsanzira will bank on his past relationship with Beefy to save his City future.
“I am relishing the opportunity to play under Beefy again as last time he was the one who actually gave me a call to come to Bulawayo City and I have been talking with him and he has kept encouraging me to be patient and work a little harder to return to fitness,” Kutsanzira said.
Despite having finished the season on a not too good note walking in crutches, Kutsanzira remains happy for his team having sealed promotion to the Premier Soccer League in what was a difficult season.
