SOCCER’S CASUALTY WARD

MBABANE – Reality is that not everyone can afford to pay a E400 000 medical bill, even if a soul has to be saved.

Soccer, as a contact sport, is associated with big injuries and the Football Association (FA), through its medical committee, has called for teams to insure players. Already three players, in just five games into the 2017/18 elite season, have suffered career threatening injuries, two most likely to be ruled out for the rest of the campaign. Mbabane Swallows’ Sabelo ‘Sikhali’ Ndzinisa’s  recent craniotomy surgery is well documented. Add the Young Buffaloes duo of Samkeliso ‘Rio’ Lushaba, who is out for the rest of the season with a broken leg and his captain Nkosing’phile ‘Nyandoro’ Tsabedze, who has been ruled out at least for six months, the season has started on a ‘dirty’ note. Comfort Shongwe, Chairman of the Football Association (FA) Medical Committee, admits teams have to take the initiative and insure their players.

Shongwe revealed that personally, he has approached insurance agencies with a view luring them to sports but unfortunately they do not see sport as a potential industry. In leagues across the globe, insuring players from injuries and when travelling, is now a trend, but not for landlocked Swaziland. “With the FA, there is a group insurance for Sihlangu players when travelling outside the country and it is essential for our clubs to have such covers. According to FIFA, even if a player is injured on national duty, the club insurance covers those bills. As a medical committee, we advocate for our players to be covered and we invite insurance brokers to partner with football,” Shongwe, who is also the FA Vice President, said. Swallows dug deep into their pockets recently to settle ‘Sikhali’s over E300 000 medical bills following his craniotomy surgery, the most complex and delicate to be done on a player locally performed at Manzini Clinic.

Other players to have sustained injuries in the opening games of the MTN League include Manzini Wanderers captain Lwazi ‘Shana’ Maziya, sitting out three matches already; industrious Green Mamba midfielder Phinda Ginindza (two matches); speedy forward Mfan’fikile ‘Fash’ Ndzimandze of Highlanders (two games) though he is back fit and his teammate Gabriel Goshen (three matches) among other casualties. Shongwe further said that the recent injuries can be a combination of factors with a professional analysis needed to determine the ‘evil root’.
“It is difficult to conclude on why we are having the most injuries in football so early in the season. Professional analysis, using television footage can come in handy. For as long as our players do not have such (insurance) covers, clubs will be compelled to pay because these players get injured on duty and have running contracts,” he said.
Several attempts to get PLS Chief Operations Officer (COO) Pat Vilakati’s comment on the matter and the route the league can possibly take on this matter hit a snag yesterday. 

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