Exclusive: Injury Hits Chipolopolo After Training On Astro Turf In Abuja.

FRANCIS  ACHI/Abuja

Some key  players in the Chipolopolo of Zambia are suffering from  various degrees of injuries as a result of training on astro turf at the FIFA goal project , package B of the Abuja National Stadium on Thursday morning.

Chipolopolo arrived the FIFA goal project as early as 8.15am where they did light warm up exercise and some shake up. Thereafter, proceeded to some tactical training sessions of strategic corner kicks , practised of shots outside the box and other training  formations the technical crew deployed to the players.

Unfortunately,  the team from Southern African region suffered injury blows to their players when their star goalkeeper, Kennedy Mweene, who plies his trade with Memolodi Sundowns of South Africa injured his left thigh after diving full length to save a shot during the practice of shots exercise. Mweene could not continue with the training as he limped out of the field, holding his left thigh in agony.

The same fate was suffered by Patson Daka, the rave of the moment in Zambian football, who was signed by Red Bull Salzburg of Austria after his exploits at the African Youth Championship where he emerged the most valuable player of the tournament  after scoring 4 goals and helping Zambia to win the tournament as the host nation .

All was not well with Daka immediately the team started their light exercise on astro turf as he started limping , holding his left knee , which made him to pull out of the training and he was later examined by a medical officer in the team to ascertain the level of the pain in his left knee.

Daka, later jogged on his own , but was not still  in perfect condition as he jogged and there was an expression of despair on the faces of the technical crew and the entire contingent of Zambia at the FIFA goal project while watching the striker jogged alone.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that all the Zambian players put on boots when they began training on the artificial turf and when they started feeling the negative effects of the turf, some were holding their ankles , thighs and knees. Others left the pitch to ask for canvass from their officials, but only three players later got canvass to train, the rest players all trained with the boots feeling various degree of pains as they ended their training after one hour.

The Super Eagles will trade tackles with Chipolopolo of Zambia in a crucial World Cup qualifying game in group b of the Africa Zone on Saturday at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo and a win for the three – time African Champions will see the team qualify for the 2018 Russia 2018 World Cup.