Billiat in another injury blow
Kaizer Chiefs coach, Gavin Hunt, has revealed Khama Billiat has suffered another leg fracture. The gaffer said the Zimbabwe international forward is likely to miss the remainder of the season.
This could be a huge a blow for the Amakhosi on both the domestic and CAF Champions League fronts.
Billiat will miss the two-legged Champions League quarter-final battle against Tanzanian side Simba SC.
Chiefs are also sweating over the availability of defender Siyabonga Ngezana and winger Dumisani Zuma.
“We’ve got a few out now again,” Hunt said, following Wednesday’s 1-1 DStv Premiership draw with Swallows FC.
“You know, Khama’s leg, I’ve just been told has got another fracture in it so he’ll be out.
He hasn’t (hardly) played this season, so that’s another blow.
“It doesn’t give us anything much up front. We’re short up front. (Leonardo) Castro, with his groin problems.
“(But), in times of adversity, we stand up and be counted. We believe in the players we have available and we’re going to have to trust them and set up a plan and have a go.
“That’s all we can do.
“Obviously, Erick (Mathoho) got injured two games ago so he’s been struggling. I don’t know, we’ll see.
“I couldn’t play him tonight. He wasn’t fit enough to play. He’s got a problem with his arm.”
Hunt was also left frustrated after the Swallows draw, another set-back in their bid to qualify for the MTN8 next season.
Chiefs came from behind to secure the point, with both goals coming inside the first 15 minutes of the game.
They trail eighth-placed TS Galaxy by two points and have now played a game more.
“I sound like a stuck record, saying the same things,” Hunt said. “Poor defending, unbelievable missed opportunities again and the final ball.
“So, (these are the) things we need to work on. We should be dealing with that first goal.
“We should be dealing with that. It’s come from a long way out.
“Then we got ourselves back in and had some real good opportunities around the box. Just the final ball, especially in the second half.
“I’m disappointed because once we got to 1-1, even before they scored, we had good domination of the ball. Good areas we get into.
“We’ve got to do better but we didn’t. The players are giving me a lot every day, working very hard but sometimes they can only give you so much down to how good you are.
“So, they’re working hard and that’s all I can ask of them. Right now you need to defend the goal a little bit better.
“They (Swallows) didn’t look threatening. Our goalkeeper didn’t have too much to do. Only from balls in the box and restarts.”
Hunt also had to address speculation, on social media, that he was now on his way out of the club and will be replaced by Stuart Baxter.
“No, I haven’t heard a thing (about Baxter). I’m not on social media anyway, so I don’t know what’s going on,” he responded.
Though he has led the team to an historic first CAF Champions League quarter-final, the 56-year-old has recorded just 11 wins, 16 draws and 13 defeats in his 40 games in charge of the Soweto giants.
His captain, Bernard Parker, could also find himself in serious trouble with the Kaizer Chiefs management, following his unprofessional behaviour against Swallows FC.
He was caught by television cameras saying unprintable words towards striker, Samir Nurkovic, during their 1-1 draw with the Dube Birds.
This has angered the club’s supporters, who are now calling for the former Bafana Bafana man’s head for behaving unprofessionally, towards his teammate.
Chiefs have always been known for protecting their brand.
The incident took place in the dying minutes of the game as the Glamour Boys were preparing to take a set-piece.
The club’s corporate manager, Vina Maphosa, said he was still to hear from the management if any action was going to be taken against Parker.
“Will get advice from the team management. If there’s some comment to make will let you know,” Maphosa told KickOff.com.
Parker last scored a goal for Chiefs in the PSL in 2019. — SuperSport/Kickoff.com.
