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By Sibongiseni Gumbi

Football Writer


Maluleka ‘recovering well’ after collapsing during PSL game

Maluleka had both his teammates and opponents worried when he fell and became motionless for a few minutes.


AmaZulu FC midfielder George Maluleka has recovered and is now in the care of his family after his collapse on the field on Saturday. 

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Maluleka had both his teammates and opponents worried when he fell and became motionless for a few minutes in their game against Swallows FC on Saturday. 

The game was in the last minutes of added time when the unfortunate incident happened. 

He was rushed to hospital where he was checked by the medical staff and was later released to the care of his family.

The 36-year-old Maluleka has made an update following Saturday’s incident. It has since emerged that it was not the first time he collapsed. 

“I would just like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their concern, care and support during this time,” wrote Maluleka on his Instagram. 

“I am stable and recovering well in the good care of my family. Words cannot describe my genuine gratitude for all the support and care I received both on and off the field. 

“It has meant more to me than you will ever know and I look forward to being back on the field soon,” Maluleka added.

Not the first time Maluleka collapsed

Speaking of Maluleka’s collapse, AmaZulu coach Romain Folz said it had not been the first time it happened. 

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“It is usually the heart situation and I will have to check if there is a tricky side on the results,” said Folz. 

“Yes, this is the second time as you said in the span of six months. So we need, one; to be cautious. 

“Two; we need to check what is exactly happening because it is happening quite often with footballers – you saw what happened to Richards Bay player (Siphamandla Mtolo). 

“So, let’s protect the man first,” said the French-Moroccan mentor. Folz meanwhile has been redeployed by the club. 

The club announced on Tuesday that Folz will no longer be coach but technical advisor to president Sandile Zungu. 

This follows a string of poor results that sees the club closer to the relegation places than the Caf competitions places they aimed for. 

Ayanda Dlamini, who was Folz assistant, will take over on an interim basis until the end of the season. 

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