HERENTALS College FC skipper Tino Benza has apologised to Scottland's midfielder Vasilli Kawe for a late tackle that occurred during their match at Rufaro last Thursday.
The encounter, which ultimately saw Scottland secure a 1-0 victory, featured a compelling midfield battle between Benza and Kawe, who were once teammates at Herentals.
During one of their exchanges, Benza mistimed his challenge, extending his right leg late, making contact with Kawe’s right calf.
This resulted in an immediate yellow card being issued.
Kawe, who had entered the game as a second-half substitute, received treatment and was able to continue playing, contributing significantly to his team's win.
However, the incident appeared to have affected Benza, seemingly impacting his performance for the remainder of the match.
Yesterday, the forward, who has recorded one goal and two assists this season, expressed his remorse, stating that he was prepared to be substituted had Kawe been forced off the field due to the injury.
“I am sorry for that tackle. It was just a rush of blood, some moment that I have taken my time analysing and got to realise I was wrong,” said Benza.
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“It’s something regrettable on my part because I am someone who never plans to injure anyone. I have reached out to Kawe and issued my apology. Once again, I am sorry, not only to Kawe and Scottland, but to the entire football fraternity.”
Kawe accepted Benza's apology.
“Tino is a good player who is always working hard to improve. His passion is unmatched and that could partly explain why he appeared to be so aggressive in that tackle,” Kawe said.
“I have already accepted his apology. He is a good sportsman. It’s very rare to get a tough tackle and have the perpetrator go public to say sorry.”
Looking ahead, Benza has urged his Herentals teammates to bounce back when they host Triangle at Rufaro Stadium this afternoon.
“The defeat against Scottland was painful. We dominated the ball, but we were not clinical,” Benza said. “We need to rectify all that when we play Triangle at Rufaro.”
