Doc’s memory bank: The coach refused to release me…

I suffered an injury away to AmaZulu FC and we were due to play the BP Top 8 final against Mamelodi Sundowns the following week. It was a serious injury and when I was assessed the following Tuesday, leading up to the final weekend, you couldn’t even identify my ankle, which goes to show just how swollen it was. We were coached by Philippe Troussier and, as much as there were a lot of things he did that I didn’t like, the man was fuming and calling on our medical team to pull out all the stops to ensure I was ready to play on the weekend. Dr Phil Maepa – may his soul rest in peace – and his medical team told the coach there was no way I would be able to play. We went to camp on Thursday and I was still swollen. “If you’re a real doctor, you will prove yourself now. You make sure this ankle is better by Saturday morning, then

I will know you’re a real doctor. I want this man in the final,” was the coach’s retort. I kept trying to jog around the field, but the pain just wouldn’t go away. The coach refused to release me from camp even though it was clear that I wouldn’t be able to play. We even tried the Zulu way of sorting out the problem, but nothing worked. Come Saturday, I was on the bench after wearing a flop on my right foot and a sneaker on my left, for the whole week, due to the swelling and pain. The coach told Dr Maepa that when he needs me on the field, the Dr must make sure that I am ready. Sundowns were coming at us. We scored and Daniel “Mambush” Mudau equalized for them. They missed two or three seaters and I was sitting on the bench, having taken painkillers and the club having declared that to the League just in case there’s random testing

scheduled. First five minutes into the second half, I was told to go warm up, but the Dr called me

towards the tunnel, where there were five Chiefs security guys. I was told to sit down, two of those guys held my arm and leg. I’ve never seen such a long needle, but it was struck into my ankle and they injected me. A few seconds later, the pain is gone and I could do anything I wanted and they strapped my ankle so tight and I was brought on. My first touch, I set Mike Maringa on goal and he

scored. The coach told me not to run or worry about defending but spray the passes for our attackers. The coach was the happiest man after the final whistle. That night, the pain came back and I felt like chopping my leg off. The injection had died off and I was given more medication the next day and I was out for almost two weeks.