Stellenbosch FC’s 1-0 victory over AmaZulu on Tuesday evening came at a major cost, with striker Ashley Cupido expected to be out for “a minimum of six weeks” and miss this week’s trip to Zanzibar for the all-important CAF Confederation Cup semi-final against Simba FC.
Cupido hobbled after just 10 minutes when his hamstring went “pop”, and was replaced by South Africa Under-20 forward Langelihle Phili.
Stellies coach Steve Barker conceded that Cupido, who worked tirelessly leading the frontline in the quarter=final against Zamalek in Cairo last week, would not be on the flight to the East African island.
“Yeah, it looks like it’s a bad hamstring, so unlikely that he’ll (Cupido) be available,” Barker said.
“We’ll assess (on Wednesday). But he says he felt it pop.
“So, when that happens, it’s probably, you know, minimum six weeks out.
“Unfortunate for him, unfortunate for us, especially with Bradley Mojela still out and Ashley, it’s obviously not ideal. But yeah, we have to find solutions.”
Cupido’s absence has left Barker with a mini-crisis upfront, with Mojela, of course, still recovering after undergoing knee surgery in December, although there were positive signs of him kicking a ball in training recently.
“He’s promised me if we make the final of Confed, he’ll be available,” Barker joked.
“No, it’s just part of his rehab. So, he’s running now.
“At least he is able to sort of kick the ball. It’s just one of those injuries that it’s just something that you can’t rush.
“For all intents and purposes, he was always going to be available around early May.”
Barker’s woes upfront are further compounded, with Phili also expected to join up with the Amajita squad this week for the Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations competition in Egypt.
The 2025 Under-20 AFCON takes place from April 26 to May 18.
Barker will put in a request to Safa for Phili to travel with Stellenbosch to Zanzibar, before joining up with Amajita for their travels to Egypt.
“He is supposed to report for camp on Sunday, but we’ll request that he travels with us and report for camp on Monday,” the coach said.
“We do travel back from Tanzania and land in Joburg on Monday morning.
“So, especially with Ashley most likely not being available, we would request that he (Phili) at least comes for that match.”
Barker was, however, pleased to announce that inspirational captain and goalkeeper Sage Stephens would be available for the CAF semi-final.
Stephens was rested for Tuesday’s night Premiership clash due to a minor injury, with Oscarine Masuluke taking over between the sticks for Stellies.
There was also doubt around the skipper’s availability for the first-leg semi-final after he picked up a yellow card in Cairo for “time-wasting”.
Having earlier also been booked in the competition, it was assumed that Stephens would be suspended.
CAF’s ruling, though, is that all yellow cards are revoked after the group stages, allowing a fit-again Stephens to lead Stellies into battle.
“Yes, I saw Sage now after the game, just had a bit of a follow-up,” Barker said. “So, the reason he didn’t play was to just let him fully recover.
“He seems to be good, so he will travel. So, I’m confident that by the weekend, you know, he’ll be available.
“He seems to have recovered from it. So yes, he’s obviously been really big for us this whole season, and it’s important for him to be available.”
Stellenbosch will travel to East Africa on Thursday, where they could possibly be forced to take a ferry across from Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar due to the lack of flight options at the moment.
The semi-final has been moved from Simba FC’s fortress, Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam, which is temporarily closed for maintenance work, to the 15,000-seater Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar.
Barker feels this could work in his team’s favour.
“Obviously, a 60,000-packed seater is maybe a little bit more intimidating than, say, a 15,000-packed stadium,” he said.
“I’ve been told and seen some pictures that the pitch will be in really good condition. But yes, it does mean there is extra travel.”