The 30-year-old player said he was unhappy that his South African club failed to register him with the Premier Soccer League for the second half of the ABSA Premiership that resumes this week, subsequently extending his stay in the sidelines by a further six months.
This latest setback comes hot on the heels of Zimbabwean coach, Valinhos’ surprise decision to drop him from the national team for an upcoming friendly match.
“I am obviously disappointed that I will spend another six months in the sidelines as I was not registered to play until the remainder of the
season. I could not foresee such a development because I had made steady progress and made my way back to contention for a starting berth in the team,” Luphahla said.
The former Zimbabwe Saints and ex-Highlanders star, who recently extended his contract with the club by a year, was not registered for the remainder of the season to make way for new signing, Colombian Luis Renteria.
The fact that Stars had exhausted their quota of foreign players necessitated the move to sacrifice one foreign player during the recently-elapsed transfer window period.
He can only be registered during the next transfer window period in June, which will bring his time in the sidelines to 16 months.
He said the extended period of inactivity would subsequently scuttle his fitness, which he said he had worked so much to regain.
The lanky player however maintained that he had no ill feelings towards management following the move.
“What matters most is that I’m still a Platinum Stars player and will not give up on my resolve to represent the club again,” he said.
Luphahla has not kicked a ball for about a year following a nasty collision with Jomo Cosmos Namibian goalkeeper Abisai Shiningayamwe, which left the Zimbabwean nursing two fractures in his leg and his shin detached at the knee during a league match. There were fears he will never the player again but he allayed these with a remarkable recovery. – CAJ News
Post published in: Zimbabwe Sports News