Banyana’s Ramalepe spills beans on unpleasant Dinamo Minsk exit
Banyana Banyana defender Lebohang Ramalepe has made shocking revelations about her exit from Belarusian side FC Dinamo Minsk.
Lebohang Ramalepe’s contract with Minsk was expected to end on the 15th of December, 2022.
However, things got sour when Ramalepe sustained an anterior aruciate ligament [ACL] injury towards the end of the 2022 season.
The 31-year-old did not beat around the bush as she spilt the beans on what transpired after sustaining the injury.
Lebohang Ramalepe says things took a U-turn when the club started accusing her of faking an injury as they felt like she didn’t want to play anymore.
The Limpopo-born star further stated that her team thought she was faking an injury because they relied a lot on her, and the season was reaching its climax, and Minsk needed a player of her calibre to seal the league title.
LEBOHANG RAMALEPE SPILLS THE BEANS…
“To be honest with you, when the season was nearing the end, I got injured on the 24th of September, so I stretched my ACL,” Ramalepe told FARPost.
“You know, when a team relies on you a lot, and you get injured to such an extent that you have to miss out on a lot of games, they thought maybe I faked my injury.
“From there on, they started pinpointing as if I don’t want to play anymore. So, they told me if I don’t want to play is best that they take me home [back to South Africa] and that is when I started to see that I’m no value to them because I’m no longer playing due to my injury.”
WHAT THE DOCTORS’ REPORT SAID AFTER THE MRI
When the talented right-back was asked what the doctors’ report said following the team’s accusation of her faking an injury, she said: “The thing is that everything is done in Russian and all.
“But I asked the guy who did the Magnetic Resonance Imaging [MRI] on my knee to say how bad it is? And he was like; it’s a stretch of ligament, your; ACL stretched, so you need some time out.
“And in the report they just said is trauma. So, when they translate the word trauma to them is like is nothing serious, something that can be healed within two weeks.”
THE CALL TO BANAYANA PHYSIO THAT SAVED LEBOHANG RAMALEPE
Ramalepe went on to reveal to this publication how she then contacted Banyana Physiotherapist Maeleven Setuntsa, who then advised her that her injury was serious.
According to the defender, the physio said she must be on the sidelines for at least six weeks to recover fully. But her club wanted to rush her back to the field of play.
“I had to call Banyana Banyana physio Maeleven Setuntsa and I gave her the report. She then explained to me that the injury is a serious thing and you need to be out for six weeks for you to be fine,” Ramalepe explained.
“In those six weeks at the club, they were like six weeks is a lot because they wanted me back, insisting that I needed to start doing something.
“They wanted to rush me back into playing because we had a derby coming soon, which was the league-deciding game, and they felt like I didn’t want to play whatsoever.
“But I told them I’m in pain even when I wanted to walk I couldn’t walk properly. I needed time to see a physio and all in order for me to recover.”
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