By Tafadzwa Kutinyu
Hello Zimbabwe, it is my hope that I find you well. This is Tafadzwa Kutinyu, the Warriors midfielder who is in camp with the national team here for the 2019 AFCON finals.
Well, it’s sad that we have to chat at a time when I have been ruled out of the tournament because of a knee injury I sustained during a practice match against Tanzania here on Sunday.
Of course, as a player and a Warrior I feel very bad. I didn’t expect to get injured in that match, it was a practice match.
It would have been better to get injured in a competitive match and, so, everything just makes me feel so bad.
But these things can happen anytime in football and injuries can just come at any time and any minute. It’s something that you cannot resist and I just feel so bad, but there is nothing that I can do.
I really wanted to play in this AFCON, remember the last AFCON I was there when coach (Callisto) Pasuwa was there, I was part of the squad again. I was playing, I was training and on the last day, when he chose his final 23, I was left out.
But I kept pushing and when coach Mhofu came again, I got another chance and this time I managed to be among the 23, but look again, I won’t be playing and this means two AFCONS which I have missed. It’s really bad for me, but if God decides what He decides, no one can resist.
I know the team can do it, even without me, I know the morale and I know we have been pushing each other for a long time with the other boys and they can do it.
I am still there, I am still around and I know with the team we have, the way we fight and I know that the fighting spirit is still there, we can do something and I believe we will do something great.
The first day it was like funny, I got kicked, but I was walking and it looked normal and I was relaxed, but then things changed.
The boys feel bad right now and they all come to my room and you can see they are sad and that’s why you see I even force myself to be there all the time with them, even going to training and laughing so that they don’t see how bad I am feeling, but I can tell you that my injury is very bad.
I can’t even stretch my leg the way I usually does. I can’t even bend it, but I don’t want to show them that it’s this bad because I don’t want this to affect them, they are my friends.
We have been with each other for a long time, laughing and encouraging each other and you don’t want them to see that you are in such pain.
Their morale will go down, they will feel bad and that’s why I will never show them that things are so bad, I pretend that everything is okay.
When I get injured, I have a family, I have a wife and a kid and I tell them, but as for mum, I only have my mum at home, I know she always feels very bad whenever I get injured, but that’s part of our job because whenever you play, you are likely to get injured.
I didn’t tell them, but when the boys saw the newspapers today (yesterday), you know how boys are, they went to them to say the guy is out, and all the stuff, “look mum, the guy is no longer playing”, and I had to call and tell mum and the family.
I have just joined a new team, Horoya of Guinea, and the team is going into camp on July 6, they are going to a pre-season camp in Morocco so that they prepare for the Champions League.
The plan was that they would wait for me after I finish AFCON and get a little rest. You know I never got time to rest, I left Tanzania, joined camp and left to sign for the new team and returned into camp.
I was supposed to get a little rest before I joined them, but I have told them that I will no longer participate in AFCON after what happened and they also feel very bad for me.
The owner of the team is the CAF vice-president, he is a good man and is feeling sorry and he told me that when he comes, here he is going to visit me and see if it’s possible he can help and cheer me and they have told me that I should not hesitate but tell them anything I want so that they can help.
Thank you Zimbabwe for your prayers and let’s rally behind the boys who will play for us. The Herald
