KCCA injuries: Is Artificial turf to blame?

On January 31, KCCA arrived at Arena of Visions in Bombo in a bind. They had enough players out with injuries to play on a wheelchair and still beat one or two stragglers in Uganda Premier League. That injury list was one bind.

The other bind was coach Mike Mutebi. That Sadat Anaku, Muzamiru Mutyaba, Jurua Hassan, John Odumegwu, Steven Sserwadda, Opio Sunday, Jackson Nunda, Sadam Juma, Keziron Kizito, Eric Ssenjobe, and Simon Sserunkuma were all not available for the tie was the least of Mutebi’s concerns.

Julius Polota would join the sickbay during the match. KCCA lost 2-1 and, with it, a chance to leapfrog Vipers at the top of the log.

Mutebi is too straight-jacketed for excuses. But is he also too proud to admit the reality that his training ground is more often than not a sickbay? Probably.

“I don’t think there is cause for worry because of injuries at the club,” Mutebi said. “Football is about dealing tactically with the available players because, I believe, they are all the same.”
And available players is what Mutebi always has in excess.

The German-trained tactician’s words and actions differ, however. His first decision after the season was prematurely ended due to coronavirus freeze on sports was to clear out deadwood at Lugogo.

Sadam, the two Mutyabas, Serunkuma and Nunda, all listed as outcasts at the time, have endured seasons blighted by injuries.

“I managed only eight matches last season which hurt me,” Nunda told this paper.
Sam Kato was due to return from injury while his defensive partner John Revita has since undergone a surgery to repair the ulterior cruciate ligament in his knee.

Captain Charles Lukwago and Gift Ali recovered in the season.

So who has not been injured at KCCA this season? Mutebi, perhaps? With the spate of injuries, you wouldn’t put it past the gaffer himself limping off injured in training.
So what is at Lugogo?

Why are there more injuries at KCCA than at any of the topflight clubs? Mutebi referred Daily Monitor to Dr Ivan Ssewanyana, the team physician – who said he was carrying out research into the injuries.
Research is what Arsenal did, too.

The English Premier League club had to invest in research when injuries hit them like a plague at the twilight of Arsene Wenger’s reign.

Many theories were floated to explain why the likes of Mikel Arteta, Abou Diaby, Aaron Ramsey, Eduardo and Alexis Sanchez were always injured. Fast pace of game in England, tight schedules, training methods and psychology of players were joined by Gulliver theory of muscles injury.

Gulliver’s theory suggests that players with short legs, who move more and have to stretch more for tackles or to reach the ball, are prone to muscle injuries.

Ugandan players on average stand between 165 and 185cm tall.
But it is the psychological issue that one of the players at KCCA cited as a major factor the injuries.

“You might see that we sign many players during this window. What you don’t see is the struggle to win a starting place in the team,” said the player who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals.

“Every other player you hear out there wants to join KCCA because of the football, but once here, the competition can get to you if you do not take it slow, bide your time.”

He said pressures to win first team football pushes many players into over exerting their body.
Nicholas Kasozi, a holding midfielder, remarkably fled the team in what Mutebi blamed on the player’s failure to deal with pressure.

Artificial turf
Bright Stars’ Bernard Muwanga, who Mutebi signed from Villa but ended up on loan at Proline due to injuries, faulted acclimatisation to the artificial turf.

“Getting used to the new training schedule at Lugogo also contributed [to his injury] because it’s different from other teams. KCCA trains twice a day.”

Nunda, who also believes art turf is partly to blame, added: “On returning, if I stay with KCCA, I won’t rush to train on the artificial turf.”

Several global research into the impact of art turf on sports injuries, including in 2014 by the British Journal of Sports Science, have indicated that there is no relation between the silicon grass and injuries.

Champions Vipers and Jinja-based Bidco Uganda Ltd (Bul), the two other clubs in topflight playing on art turf, are not as badly hit as KCCA.

“Then the training schedule comes in,” conceded Muwanga when comparitive situation at Vipers and Bul were cited.
Mutebi is noncomittal on his training methods and like all gaffers, stands by his work ethics and ethos.

However, Dr Ssewanyana does not entirely rule out art turf being to blame but says he is conducting research on the relationship between the silicon turfs and injuries.

“As scientists, we can easily believe that the turf is responsible for the injuries at club,” he said.
“I’m pioneering research along with my colleagues globally that have artificial turfs to assess the impact on the players.

“So far I have shared notes with my colleague in Botswana and soon we shall have a complete research we can base on to make conclusions.”

But Vipers head of communication Abdu Wasike was dismissive of the idea that art turf is to blame.

“Players get injured on the field because of tackles or fitness problems,” said Wasike, whose club’s defender Rashid Toha has not played since his debut in September last year after suffered a knee injury
Toha faced the knife in February, while skipper Halid Lwaliwa, Farouk Musisi, Geoffrey Wasswa, Karim Watambala, and Siraje Ssentamu have also battled with injuries.

The art of art turf
Ali Mwebe, football development officer at Fufa, said a playing surface “must have reasonable degree of hardness not to affect athletes’ hard tissues (bones) and joints.”

Even if art turf, which comes in many brands such as AstroTurf, was advanced to three-star standard – that is not in Uganda – they would be “too much for the human body” if the players had to train on the silicon and also play matches on them.

Mwebe said art turfs are star-rated one to three, with the latter “highly soft with shock absorption.
Dr Prince Pambo, a sports and exercise physician and a member of Caf medical committee, urged clubs using art turfs to come up with measures to mitigate injuries.

The Ghanaian said there should not be any concern about players training on natural grass only to play the match on art turf as long as they use appropriate boots for the difference surfaces. He advised new recruits to start it slow.
“They have to work on their speed because the ball moves faster on artificial turfs. Players tend to overstretch to reach balls when they don’t have good speed to keep pace with the ball. Short passes work better.”

KCCA injury list
John Revita
S. Sserunkuma
Erisa Ssekisambu
Sadam Juma
Jamil Malyamungu
Jackson Nunda
Muzamir Mutyaba
Denis Okot Oola
Charles Lukwago
Abubaker Gift Ali
Keziron Kizito
John Odumwegu
Nicholas Kasozi
Bernard Muwanga
Nelson Senkatuka
Mike Mutyaba
Samuel Kato
Sunday Opio
Steven Serwadda
Eric Ssenjobe
Vipers injury list
Rashid Toha
Halid Lwaliwa
Farouk Musisi
Geoffrey Wasswa
Karim Watambala
Siraje Ssentamu

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