More injuries? Da Cruz confirms injury setback for Chiefs duo
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Kaizer Chiefs duo Ethan Chislett and Flavio Silva. Photo: Zamani Makautsi/Gallo Images
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More injuries? Da Cruz confirms injury setback for Chiefs duo
Aug 11, 2026 – 08:50 am
By Siya Ndlela
Kaizer Chiefs head coach Fernando Da Cruz has revealed a major injury setback for key stars, piling early pressure on the newly appointed mentor in a congested fixture week.
Amakhosi suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat against Lamontville Golden Arrows, which officially sent them crashing out of the MTN8 tournament at the first hurdle. In the match played at the FNB Stadium, a second-half strike by Khulekani Shezi settled the contest.
Da Cruz was forced to reshuffle his pack due to the sudden pre-match injuries, handing starting opportunities to attacking players like Nkosingiphile Ngcobo, alongside a rare start for youngsters Mfundo Vilakazi and a structural inclusion for Luke Baartman.
The tactician also used the cup tie to hand minutes to some of his new signings, introducing highly-rated winger Langelihle Phili off the bench for his official debut.
Notably, several players who featured in the matchday one victory against Kruger United were completely absent from the squad that faced Abafana Besthende.
Da Cruz later confirmed that the sudden exclusion of key attacking threats like Asanele Velebayi and Pule Mmodi was purely due to tactical competition for places rather than physical constraints, while Ethan Chislett and Flavio Da Silva had suffered injury setbacks.
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“First thing, Silva got hurt yesterday (Saturday) at training, matchday minus one. So, we have three games in six days, and we prefer to be careful with him – the same thing for Chislett also,” Da Cruz said during his post-match press conference.
“For players like [Asanele] Velebayi and Pule Mmodi, it’s our choice [to not include them in Sunday’s game], but also we have three games in six days. So, we will need the whole squad for these three games because it will be a tough week for us.
“We also missed other players who are injured. They are in rehabilitation and periodisation, but it’s interesting for the players who are available at the moment, and they would come back step by step.”
Nevertheless, the unexpected early exit leaves the Soweto giants with plenty of questions to answer regarding their squad depth and tactical sharpness in front of goal.
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The Glamour Boys have an immediate chance at redemption in their next Betway Premiership fixture when they play against Sekhukhune United on Wednesday night at FNB Stadium.
This upcoming midweek clash kicks off a gruelling six-day fixture schedule that will heavily test the squad’s physical capacity, culminating in a massive encounter against champions Mamelodi Sundowns over the weekend.