Billiat misses chance to face Chitembwe
IF Yadah Stars forward Khama Billiat had his own way, he would have asked for a delay to his automatic two-game suspension to be able to face former employer, CAPS United, this Saturday at Rufaro.
His presence could have brought a different spark to those who saw him making early steps in the infancy of his career.
Billiat’s resume will always remind those who care to know that it all started at Makepekepe 14 years ago.
The 33-year-old picked his first red card in the Castle Lager Premiership on Saturday in the defeat to Herentals in an incident-packed match at Rufaro.
Billiat was dismissed by referee, Thanks Nyaungwe, allegedly for retaliation against the Herentals substitute goalkeeper in the second half. The former CAF Champions League winner would have loved to be on the field of play this weekend.
But, he would have also loved to play against coach Lloyd Chitembwe, the man who handed him his first top-flight appearance at Makepekepe before moving to South Africa’s Ajax Cape Town.
Billiat’s setback will also be a fresh blow for coach, Thomas Ruzive who has registered just two wins in 10 attempts.
He would have preferred to face Chitembwe’s men with his best shield.
CAPS United are slowly turning Rufaro into a slaughterhouse as they have now netted six times in their last two fixtures at this venue without conceding a goal.
The brutal truth is that Yadah Stars have appeared lifeless without Billiat in their offensive line.
However, Ruzive will find comfort in knowing that his charges have also won without the league’s most valuable man.
He also have captain Vincent “Apostle” Sango ready to fill in Billiat’s void.
Ruzive chose not to say a word on Billiat’s dismissal.
However, he admitted that it reduced their chances of forcing a positive result.
“I cannot say much about Billiat’s red card because I can’t tell what happened from where I was.
“It was a huge blow for us. Our boys got confused a bit and by the time they regained their focus, it was too late.
“Every team would love to have their best player available for action and his red card has an impact to some extent but I’m sure the boys will try their best to measure up,” said Ruzive.
Not everyone will bet on the Green Machine to win against Yadah Stars as they seem to be struggling to act resolutely.
They have failed to record two wins on the spin so far and it is something that has been a cause for concern to Chitembwe, who also admitted that he is not amused.