It’s been just over two years since the devastating leg injury which effectively brought Kaizer Chiefs legend Bernard Parker’s career to an abrupt end, and the forward has revealed how he didn’t receive a proper apology from the player whose horror tackle precipitated the chain of events.
In October 2023, the 37-year-old Parker was in the twilight of his career as he had moved on from Chiefs to smaller club TS Galaxy.
While quietly extending the latter stages of his career, Parker turned out in a Carling Knockout match against Mamelodi Sundowns at Mbombela Stadium.
That was when it happened. Sundowns’ Bongani Zungu went in for a tackle on Parker, and moments later the former Bafana Bafana attacker was writhing in agony on the ground with a broken leg. While the referee showed Zungu a straight red card for his tackle, Parker was still aware of everything that was happening despite the severe pain.
Parker’s Frustration Over Zungu’s Inadequate Apology After Injury Incident
“When I lifted my leg, it was doing this [indicating it was limp]. While my leg was doing that, the person [Zungu] was performing and yappering and yappering over me, looking at how my leg was swinging from side to side,” Parker told Smash Sports.
“That happened and I forgave him. It was when I woke up in the hospital because they had to numb me and put me to sleep that evening. Late in that evening, I got an Instagram DM (direct message) from Bongani, saying, ‘ If I can forgive him.’
While the message may have been well-intentioned, that was the extent of the apologetic gestures by Zungu, which left Parker full of indignation.
“I said, ‘Sharp, I forgive you.’ He did not even give a thumbs up or a heart or anything, or a wishing me well for your recovery… nothing. He read it and he just left it. I still have the screenshot for that message,” he said.
Parker’s Disappointment: No Sundowns Visit During Hospital Recovery
Though Parker did return to the playing field after the injury, his recovery time after games was radically increased and he was never the same again.
Parker, now aged 39 and working as a coach of the TS Galaxy reserves, went on to say that no one from Sundowns bothered to visit him in the hospital.
“Everybody visited me in the hospital, but not even one Sundowns representative could come and see me in the hospital. [I received flowers, but] it wasn’t coach Rhulani (Mokwena), it was the manager who sent the flowers.
“Those cheap R350 flowers, to be honest. Not even R500 flowers. There was no chocolate. Rhulani lied on a public platform to say that he sent me a text message – he never sent me a text message. He never called me,” Parker explained.
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