More questions than answers emerging around Rivaldo Coetzee’s alleged foot injury

There are more questions than answers emerging around the alleged foot injury that scuppered Rivaldo Coetzee’s transfer from Ajax Cape Town to Scottish champions Glasgow Celtic.

The Celtic physiotherapist‚ who flew to Cape Town to examine the Bafana Bafana centre back‚ found degeneration in a bone in the right foot of the 20-year-old‚ which led to a decision to call off the £800 000 (R13‚5-million) move.

But Ajax have since referred Coetzee to two foot specialists in the Mother City and been handed a different diagnosis.

One doctor said it was a condition that had not‚ and would continue not to‚ cause any problem to Coeztee’s career.

As a result Ajax are going to consult one or two more specialists to try and get to the bottom of the condition.

“It sounds that it is really not as bad as first thought but we wait until a definitive diagnosis comes‚” explained the club’s director Mich d’Avray on Thursday.

“He has played with this for the last two years and really not complained about it at all.

"Obviously the player is quite devastated about it all‚ missing out on the chance to go and play overseas. But we’ll have to wait and see how it all pans out.”

Coetzee pulled out of the national team squad for the two World Cup qualifiers against the Cape Verde Islands as a result and will wear a moon boot over the next weeks to take some pressure off his foot.

Ajax’s bad luck in the transfer window continued on Thursday when they pulled out of as deal to buy Marshall Munetsi from Orlando Pirates.

The Zimbabwean midfielder had been on loan at Baroka FC last year and impressed Ajax‚ who had earmarked him for a key midfield role this season.

But an MRI scan showed him to have a major hip problem and so Ajax pulled out of the deal.

They are already angry over belatedly finding out that Morne Nel‚ who they loaned from SuperSport United for the season‚ will need an operation before he is able to play.

- TimesLIVE