Ernst Middendorp has cleared the air on the whereabouts of Zimbabwe warriors footballer and Kaizer Chiefs playmaker Khama Billiat who has been out of action for the Absa Premiership side since December 22‚ 2019.
The good news is Chiefs have not disclosed any actual injury to the player‚ with the diagnosis passed on by Middendorp from the medical staff just before the Christmas break that Billiat had simply played too many matches and was to be given a three-week break.
The Zimbabwe international has been in news recently following a nasty fallout with an unnamed South African ex-girlfriend.
Billiat’s coach explained why the player has been out for close to six weeks rather than three.
Said Middendorp:
After December 22 we had seen he couldn’t sprint to 100 percent. We have this PlayerTek Catapult GPS data which tells you exactly the top speed. Khama’s was normally close to 10 – 9.9 or 9.8. And you could see in a game‚ or in training sessions‚ a maximum 9.2 or 9.1.
At the time‚ December 22‚ we just decided‚ because we had our experience before of taking him out for two weeks‚ and then bringing him back.
It doesn’t matter even if it takes six or seven weeks – I wanted him capable of 100 percent speed‚ and wanted to see it on the GPS data.
We gave him more or less to the medical department. And from them‚ about eight days ago it was recommended that now he is able to do so maximum performance.
But from December 22 until the end of January he was not working with the team at all.
And now he’s in. It’s important after a long time for him to get related to competitive soccer.
He definitely needs competition time to get into it. Let’s see what we are doing.”
sowetan
