Online Reporter
Eddie Chikamhi-Zimpapers Sports Hub
FORMER Zimbabwe captain Knowledge Musona may not only miss Scottland’s maiden CAF Champions League preliminary round, but his availability for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers has come under the spotlight after his club indicated said the veteran forward picked up a hamstring injury.
The 36-year-old striker, who is among six Scottland players named in new Warriors coach Ramon Catala’s provisional squad, is expected to be out for at least two weeks.
Scottland coach Norman Mapeza revealed the extent of the setback, which has already ruled Musona out of the club’s CAF Champions League preliminary round first-leg tie against Eswatini champions Nsingizini Hotspurs.
“He picked up a slight hamstring injury against FC Platinum on Wednesday,” said Mapeza.
“So, the scan reveals that he’s going to be out for the next two weeks. That’s the situation with Knowledge.”
The injury raises fresh concerns over Musona’s availability for Zimbabwe’s opening Group E qualifying matches for the 2027 AFCON campaign.
The Warriors begin their quest for a place at the continental finals against Sierra Leone on September 24 in Casablanca Morocco, where the West Africans will host the fixture due to the unavailability of a CAF-approved stadium in their country.
Zimbabwe will then return to Harare to face Democratic Republic of Congo at the National Sports Stadium four days later.
Musona, easily the most experienced in the provisional squad that was named by Catala will no doubt have his fitness closely monitored by the national team technical department given his importance to the Warriors set up. The seasoned forward with three Africa Cup of Nations appearances, last featured for Zimbabwe at the 2025 tournament in Morrocco.
He scored in the 1-1 draw against Angola.
However, he missed the decisive group match against South Africa through injury and was also unavailable for the Four-Nations Unity Cup tournament in England in May.
Catala’s provisional squad includes five other Scottland players who have been instrumental in the club’s impressive domestic campaign.
Goalkeeper Nelson Chadya, defenders Kelvin Moyo, Peter Muduhwa and Emmanuel Jalai and midfielder Abubakar Moffat, all earned places in the preliminary squad.
Musona watched from the stands on Sunday as Scottland marked their CAF Champions League debut with a laboured 1-0 victory over Nsingizini Hotspurs at the National Sports Stadium.
His absence fuelled speculation that he may have been left out for disciplinary reasons following an incident four days earlier, in which he walked straight to the dressing room after being substituted during Scottland’s league draw against FC Platinum at Rufaro.
But Mapeza dismissed those claims, insisting the veteran forward was unavailable solely due to injury.
The coach also shed light on the circumstances surrounding Musona’s reaction during the FC Platinum match.
“When we took him out, I think he couldn’t take that. Look, we were taking him out when it was still 0-0. He thought maybe he could have given us more in terms of maybe getting results on that day. Then again, he was thinking about this (Sunday) game.”
Mapeza confirmed that Musona is also set to miss the return leg against Nsingizini Hotspurs in Eswatini this weekend, dealing another blow to Scottland’s continental ambitions.
The former Warriors coach acknowledged that squad management will be critical over the coming weeks as Scottland continue to juggle commitments on multiple fronts.
In addition to their CAF Champions League campaign, the Mabvuku side remain active in the Chibuku Super Cup, where they face Hardrock in the quarter-final on their return from Eswatini.
Mabviravira are also pursuing success in the Munhumutapa Challenge Cup and defending their league title.
Mapeza said balancing player workloads would be key during the demanding schedule.
“Maybe if we have scored maybe three, four, five goals, those who played (on Sunday) they were not going to play (the return leg).
“In these games, we need to get something out of it. Of course, I can make some changes, but I need to be cautious as well when I do those changes.
“We are still in those tournaments. So, when we come back from Eswatini, again, I always say we will plan and see who is going to play against Hardrock because we don’t have time.
“Right now (yesterday) we have to go to South Africa. So, there is no time to rest,” said Mapeza.
