Proper rest, game load can help Chiefs avert recurrent injury crisis

The rate of sustained injuries among Kaizer Chiefs players in recent months has left many wondering what is causing the injuries that have sidelined several senior players for months.

Sports physician Dr Mahlane Phalane, who played a critical role in designing the Premier Soccer League return-to-play strategy during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, has given a lowdown on how to prevent these injuries.

“You need energy to exercise; we often forget that, so they must be careful of their diet. Players also need rest and proper sleep … some of them are always on social media at night instead of resting,” Phalane told Sowetan.

“When you take actual sport and science issues, you also need to warm up and cool down … some people ignore this. There’s something called the elasticity index … when you pull a rubber belt, you can pull it and extend it up to a certain point beyond which it’ll tear up, so even with the muscles, they warn you before you hurt them.”

“Players also need rest and proper sleep … some of them are always on social media at night instead of resting.” — Sports physician Dr Mahlane Phalane

Phalane urged clubs to manage workloads carefully, naming injuries likely to be sustained by footballers who hardly get rest.

“Load management is crucial. Clubs must know how many hours are the breaking point to reduce injury risk. Load isn’t only about games … these players exercise before games, so they hardly rest,” Phalane said.

“Usually these are overuse injuries. Overuse injuries differ from sport to sport … in tennis we already know an elbow will have a problem. In football, it will be ankles, knees and even muscles; that’s why you’ll cramp and tear the hamstring or ligament.”

The Chiefs’ injury crisis seems never-ending, as at least five key players are nursing problems ranging from medium-term to long-term. Most of these injuries were either non-contact or sustained at training.

Defender Rushwin Dortley, 24, hasn’t played an official match since undergoing knee surgery in March last year, making him Chiefs’ longest injury-forced absentee in recent years.

Chiefs signed 21-year-old forward Langelihle Phili from Stellenbosch at the start of the season, and he hit the ground running, scoring in only his third game at the club against Mamelodi Sundowns in mid-August. A few weeks after his first goal, he was on crutches after hurting his ankle at training.

Midfielder Lebohang Maboe, 32, a Chiefs mainstay in recent months, also had to be withdrawn from the Bafana Bafana camp after an ankle injury. Maboe twisted his ankle in Chiefs’ goalless draw against Golden Arrows at Mbombela Stadium a few hours before the Bafana squad assembled.

After joining before last season began, left-back Nkanyiso Shinga suffered an Achilles tendon injury in his debut against Richards Bay in March. Shinga, 25, hasn’t played since.

Right-back Thabiso Monyane, 26, has hardly stayed injury-free since arriving at Naturena from bitter rivals Orlando Pirates in July last year. At the start of last month, Monyane was ruled out for four weeks after getting an unspecified injury at training.

Nearly a fortnight ago, Chiefs confirmed that goalkeeper and skipper Brandon Petersen, 32, had been ruled out for at least four weeks after a knee injury sustained in training and also revealed that a hip and groin strain had sidelined striker Wandile Duba, 22, for a few weeks.

Striker Flavio Silva and midfielder Ethan Chislett are other Chiefs players who’ve missed a few games this season due to training injuries.

May 2025: Khanyisa Mayo (hernia, nearing return after surgery)

March 2026: Shinga (Achilles tendon, six to eight months, hasn’t played since)

Two weeks ago: Maboe (ankle, time on sidelines not confirmed)

Two weeks ago: Duba (hip and groin, time on sidelines not communicated)