‘We’re dealing with a human tragedy’: Kompany ecstatic Foster is enjoying football again

Burnley manager Vincent Kompany is delighted to see the progress made in battling mental health by Bafana Bafana striker Lyle Foster, who the former defender said “had lost it completely”.

Foster withdrew himself from contention for the Bafana squad for this month and next month’s Africa Cup of Nations, writing a letter to the South African Football Association to say he wanted to concentrate on building his mental health at Burnley.

The striker has played four matches back from a seven-week break after issues he has been treated for at previous club KVC Westerlo in Belgium and Burnley resurfaced.

On Saturday he was the focal point in attack again — as he has been deployed for much of the opening half of the season by Kompany, before having to take time away from the game — and scored Burnley’s second equaliser against Aston Villa.

Brazilian Douglas Luiz scored a last-gasp winner from the spot in the 89th minute of a 3-2 victory to Villa.

Kompany gave some indication of the scale of depression Foster has battled in his post-match interview after the loss.

“We were dealing with a human tragedy really, a young lad who had lost it completely — such a good lad as well,” the former Manchester City defender said, according to The Guardian.

“To see him get back up, just enjoying the game, being out there on the pitch with his teammates, smiling after the game, I can go away from being a manager [and] as a human being, I’m really happy to be part of this moment.”

In an interview with Marawa Sports Worldwide in July, Foster described when he first recognised he was in a dark place while playing for Westerlo, soon after turning out for Bafana in their 1-0 Nations Cup qualifying defeat to Morocco in Rabat in June 2022.

“I was in my apartment by myself. I realised I felt this huge sense of loneliness and emptiness, like I was chasing towards something that I didn’t know if it was for me,” Foster told MSW.

“I felt I couldn’t freely express myself around my teammates. It was a lot more difficult to do things footballers are supposed to do.

“I used to try to go to training, play games, but honestly the best thing to do at that time in my life was to get back home and sleep.

“It was like no real excitement or looking forward to anything. That’s when I realised I’m in a bit of a pickle here, in some trouble.

“And of course I panicked a bit. I didn’t know what was going on and how to deal with it because it was the first time I was in a position like that.”

Foster said with the noise in his head he could not enjoy football and was numb to life, and he felt weak and “clouded by the darkness”. He said Westerlo “really went out on a limb to help me”.