We are fighting against bad luck‚ says Chiefs coach Solinas after Manyama's car accident

21 October 2018 - 12:38 By Marc Strydom
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Giovanni Solinas coach of Kaizer Chiefs and Lebogang Manyama of Kaizer Chiefs during the MTN8 Semi Final first Leg match between Supersport United and Kaizer Chiefs on the 26 August 2018 at Lucas Moripe Stadium.
Giovanni Solinas coach of Kaizer Chiefs and Lebogang Manyama of Kaizer Chiefs during the MTN8 Semi Final first Leg match between Supersport United and Kaizer Chiefs on the 26 August 2018 at Lucas Moripe Stadium.
Image: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix

It is a miracle that Lebogang Manyama survived his car accident‚ Kaizer Chiefs coach Giovanni Solinas has said‚ while pleading with fate for the club’s run of bad luck with injuries to end.

Manyama has been ruled out for six weeks for Chiefs‚ who meet Black Leopards in Sunday’s Telkom Knockout last-16 clash at FNB Stadium (kickoff 3.30pm)‚ with a fractured arm.

It was remarkable that Manyama only suffered an arm injury.

Pictures of his crumpled BMW‚ with much of its roof collapsed in after the accident returning home from training on the N1 in Johannesburg‚ suggested he could have suffered far worse.

“I saw the pictures of the car and the accident. I said‚ ‘It’s a miracle’‚” Solinas said.

“If you see the pictures of the car it’s unbelievable. I can say‚ ‘God‚ thank you’.”

“We are fighting against bad luck. But we continue fighting against this bad luck.

“We started this bad luck with Joseph [Molangoane] - the fractured leg to Joseph.

“After that it was [Leonardo] Castro‚ now Lebo. So please finish‚” Solinas said to chuckles from journalists.

“But in Kaizer Chiefs we have good players. So we have solutions. We have options in the squad.

“It’s a pity about Lebo because he started playing good football. He played an outstanding game in the Macufe Cup [won 2-0 against Bloemfontein Celtic].

“But we continue fighting against the bad luck.”

Manyama‚ arriving at Amakhosi at the start of the season having not played in six months for Konyaspor in Turkey‚ had just begun to find signs of match fitness and form at Chiefs before his accident.

Molangaone has undergone surgery for a leg broken in Amakhosi’s 3-0 MTN8 win against Free State Stars at FNB Stadium on August 11.

Big Colombian centre-forward Castro has been out since injuring his ankle in the first half of Chiefs’ 4-1 win over Cape Town City at Cape Town Stadium on September 15.

“I am optimistic about Castro because he’s been much better. This week he trained with the team‚ started to play small-sided games‚” Solinas said.

“But he’s more training by himself still.”

Khama Billiat was being assessed this week ahead of meeting Leopards in the Telkom for a back injury he returned with from the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying duty in two full games for Zimbabwe against Democratic Republic of Congo.


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