Facial surgery for Katsande

KAIZER Chiefs could well be without their midfield lynchpin Willard Katsande this weekend as the Zimbabwean undergoes facial surgery.

The 32-year-old had to go off towards the end of Chiefs’ 3-0 Nedbank Cup win over Golden Arrows, bringing a sad end to a game in which he played a key role in two of the goals.

It was confirmed after the game that Katsande had been taken to hospital to be assessed, and it has since been announced that he fractured a bone in his face.

Dave Milner, their head physio, said on their official website today, “Katsande has fractured a bone in his face. He was taken to hospital for a surgery.

Katsande will be under observation this week. We will see how he responds to treatment during the week and take it from there.”

It remains to be seen how many, if any, games Katsande will be forced to sit out, but given his importance to the squad it will be a worry for head coach Steve Komphela.

Only one Amakhosi player Daniel Cardoso (1717 minutes) has played more Absa Premiership minutes for the club this season than Katsande (1620), and their fans will be wishing him a speedy recovery. — Soccer Laduma