Honour Gombami’s horror injury

By Robson Sharuko

THERE are fears that the career of Zimbabwe international midfielder Honour Gombani could be over — at the age of 26 — after he suffered a horrific injury in Belgium on Monday during a league match between his club Cercle Brugge and Racing Genk.

The former Highlanders star tore both the meniscus and back cartilage in his right knee in the match in which his team slumped to a 0-2 defeat at the hands of Racing Genk.

Initial reports suggest that Gombami could be out of action for, at least, nine months while his team doctor — who has already predicted a difficult rehabilitation in case he recovers — warned that chances were that Gombami might never play football at the top level again.

Cercle Brugge doctor, Geert van Damme, said the double tear meant that it would be difficult for Gombami to regain stability in his right knee and issued a chilling warning that a number of sportsmen who suffer such injuries never recover.

“Because of the two tears it will be really difficult for him to get stability back in his knee.

“A quarter of all top sports people who suffer this injury never come back,” the doctor said.

Gombani said he knew he was in serious trouble when his studs stuck in the grass.

“I immediately felt a strong pain but I’m going to fight hard to get my career back on track,” he told Belgian reporters.

The Zimbabwean midfield star will undergo surgery in a fortnight once the swelling around his knee subsides.

Gombami was stretchered off the pitch and immediately underwent an NMR test at a hospital, which revealed that he had suffered serious damage to his right knee.

He joined a lengthy injury list at the club, which includes Vossen and Cornelis. Vidarsson (back) and Iachtchouck (groin).

“I have a sharp excruciating pain”, Gombami told the official Cercle Brugge website.

“I immediately knew that things were horribly wrong as the studs on my boots got stuck in the turf. My knee was twisted and it is hard to accept that I will probably not make any more appearances this season.

“My family have been informed.

“They feel sorry for me but they know I will work very hard to get back. I fortunately share an apartment in the town centre with Vusa Nyoni and he’s been a great help.

“I don’t know if I will return to my homeland to rehabilitate.

“We will first consult the Cercle medical staff.”

Nyoni, his fellow Zimbabwean midfielder, is also on the books of Cercle Brugge.

The club used to have a contingent of three Zimbabwean players on their books but striker Obadiah Tarumbwa became disillusioned with life in Belgium and quit the club and moved to Cyprus.

Cercle Brugge tried to replace him with another Zimbabwean, striker Cuthbert Malajila, but after a lengthy spell on trials, the club’s management decided that he was not the type of player they were looking for.

There is still a very strong likelihood that another Zimbabwean forward could soon be on his way to the club with either Evans Gwekwerere or Nyasha Mushekwi reported to be the targets.

Cercle Brugge manager Glen De Boeck cursed the club’s misfortune with injuries this season.

“Gombami´s injury is a big blow to Cercle, but my thoughts are first and foremost with the player”, said de Boeck.

“Hopefully Gombami will return to full fitness but having sustained such a serious injury, he faces a tall task.

“We will help and support him whenever and wherever possible. But there’s no need to push the panic button yet.

“We must operate as a team and get over this injury crisis.

“We will not just field youngsters to fill the void left by the injuries that several first-team regulars have sustained.

“Lukas Van Eenoo did well as a substitute against Genk and Jonas Buyse is also a talented youngster, but it’s our duty to act with caution.”

He said the club would miss their Zimbabwean midfield dynamo.

“We will most certainly miss Gombami. He is the latest player to be added to a lengthening injury list,” said De Boeck.

“He has proved he can make the difference. He had got his season back on track and put in spirited display against Genk.

“It’s too bad this should happen to him. You could do without these things.”

De Boeck rates Gombami so highly that he has already said publicly that he believes the Zimbabwean midfielder will one day play for Belgium’s top club Anderlecht.

Reports suggested that the Belgian giants wanted to sign Gombami last season but the deal never went through.

The Zimbabwean midfielder is in his fourth season with Cercle Brugge and has become one of the pillars of the team.

Gombami has played 90 times for his Belgian club and scored 16 goals.

Born on January 9, 1983, he made his mark as a teenager while playing for Highlanders and has played for the Warriors on a number of occasions. Herald Sports