‘Strong pneumonia infection’ keeps ex-Sundowns star out of action
A former Mamelodi Sundowns star has been battling a serious pneumonia infection, which has resulted in his extended absence from the PSL this season.
Gift Motupa, who plays for Magesi FC, has been on the sidelines since last month due to the infection as mentioned above, according to the club’s head coach, Owen Da Gama.
The 30-year-old last played on 22 January when ‘Dikwena tša Meetse’ lost 2-1 to the league champions Mamelodi Sundowns.
Since then, he has missed five Betway Premiership matches in a row. Nevertheless, the player has resumed training as he seeks to make his comeback on the pitch.
WHY MOTUPA HASN’T BEEN PLAYING LATELY
“Gift has been out with a very strong pneumonia infection, but he’s back at training and working hard,” said Da Gama after Magesi’s 3-0 loss to AmaZulu FC in Durban on Saturday.
“I was hoping to push him because there’s quality there. We’re hoping to push him as hard as we can. When the player gets sick, it makes things difficult.”
The Limpopo club is also missing forward Edmore Chirambandare, who has been out for two months due to injury. He recently resumed training, raising hopes of a return, but he sustained an injury again.
“Chirambandare has been out for two months now,” he said. “He returned last week, and the injury [came back] again.”
Even with key players sidelined, Da Gama remains optimistic about avoiding relegation. He believes just “two or three wins” will be enough to change their fortunes.
DA GAMA HOPING TO TURN THE CORNER WITH MAGESI
“It just takes one good performance to turn things around again,” he added.
“And if you look at this league, it’s very, very tight. If you get three wins, you are up there. You get two wins, you move four, five spaces up.
“So, I think the fact that [the league table] is still close, it gives us hope and belief that with two or three good performances, we can turn the corner and get out of that position.
“Being at the bottom there, it’s like all the pressure or weight of all these teams is on top of you, but I’ve been there before, and I came out.
“So, I just think we will try to fast-track the process and ensure we sit down with the players. It has to come from them.”
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