Willard Katsande in trouble

By Michael Madyira

Willard Katsande trained with Kaizer Chiefs last week and now faces an uncertain future in Ian Gorowa’s Warriors after snubbing national duty.

The Warriors were preparing for Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifier first round, first leg against Tanzania at Dar es Salaam’s Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium.

The defensive linkman did not turn up for Warriors camp, citing serious illness after he had earlier on told Warriors manager Shariff Mussa that he was already on his way to Harare by road from Johannesburg.

But it has emerged that Katsande was active at Chiefs who were yet to break for off-season last week.

Kaizer Chiefs corporate communications manager Vina Maphosa confirmed that Katsande was not down with the purported stomach bug or fever.

“If I was aware that Katsande was ill or injured, I would have put it on our website,” Maphosa told Standardsport.

“He was here at Naturena yesterday [Wednesday] and he trained with the team. I even interviewed him because I am working on a story to put on the website.”

Maphosa was even pictured together with Katsande who could not be reached for comment. Apparently sensing that he could have gotten Katsande in trouble by the startling revelations amid further inquiries from Standardsport, Maphosa later made a U-turn.

“But now I remember Willard was not well to train. I will check if he trained. I saw him at training, yes. I do not know if he trained.”

Maphosa also said he “did not know” if Katsande’s Chiefs teammate Kingston Nkhatha was training. Nkhatha is alleged to have been feigning an injury but Gorowa has minded less on the striker and instead poured his anger on Katsande.

Gorowa was last week seething with rage over Katsande’s snubbing of the Warriors camp.

Following the snub, the 42-year-old gaffer has not guaranteed the former Gunners and Ajax Cape Town man a future in the team.

“We will sit down as a technical team, make our assessment and then take it up from there,” said Gorowa.

“We will also have to hear his side of the story and will see what decision we make. I do not want to talk much about it at the moment because we do not have control over it. For now what is important is the game on Sunday.” Zimbabwe Standard