SOCCER
Neal Collins
These are tough times for Bafana Bafana’s big defender Pierre Issa. South Africa’s former Marseille player, who went on loan to Chelsea and made no impact last season, has now linked up with Gianluca Vialli’s Watford.
But if he expected life to be easier in the second level of English football, he was painfully wrong.
Issa played against Birmingham at Vicarage Road last Wednesday night and fell awkwardly when he went into a challenge against Andrew Johnson. On came the stretcher bearers and Issa was carried off in some pain. Then, in the evening drizzle, one of the stretcher bearers slipped and Issa was catapulted into the advertising hoardings.
Now Issa has an ankle injury from the tackle and a shoulder problem caused by the skidding stretcher bearer.
Watford’s assistant boss Ray Wilkins, once of Manchester United, Chelsea and England, said: “Pierre landed quite nastily on his shoulder. It certainly didn’t help his health being dropped. It was quite a heavy fall but Pierre seems to think he will be okay soon.”
Issa, famous for his own goals during South Africa’s unhappy World Cup campaign in France three years ago, appears to have little in the way of luck.
With Watford’s promotion push damaged by their 3-3 draw against Birmingham, Issa’s continuing presence is vital. And ahead lies footballing nirvana: the Premiership … with big money, fast cars and non-slip stretcher bearers.
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