CAPE TOWN – It was his dream move to European football, and now it has become a nightmare for Rivaldo Coetzee.
The 20-year-old Ajax Cape Town defender just needed to complete a medical and secure a work permit to join the Scottish giants in Glasgow after the clubs agreed terms.
But in an unfortunate development late on Saturday night, the Urban Warriors announced on their website that Coetzee had failed the medical and will have to return to Cape Town.
The Cape club did express their surprise, though, as Coetzee has been playing without any problems and in fact scored a goal for Ajax in his last match against Golden Arrows last weekend.
“Ajax Cape Town can confirm that Rivaldo Coetzee will return to the club from Johannesburg, where the player was undergoing a medical examination ahead of a proposed transfer to Scottish champions Glasgow Celtic,” the club said in a statement.
“Following a routine medical examination carried out by the Celtic medical department, they discovered an underlying problem with his right foot.
“The clubs were therefore unable to conclude the deal, based on the medical information available. The player will return to Ajax Cape Town for further evaluation.
“The injury has not hampered Coetzee to date, having not missed out on any competitive action either for his club or the national team. Ajax Cape Town can confirm that they were not aware of any condition that would have potentially hampered a transfer to Celtic.”
The youngster from Kakamas in the Northern Cape was determined to continue his career overseas, but if he doesn’t stay at Ajax, the likes of Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates are prepared to spend big bucks to sign the Bafana Bafana defender.
“While disappointed that the deal could not be completed at this point the club are fully committed to giving the player the care and attention required in order to make a full recovery,” Ajax said.
“Stuart Baxter, the Bafana Bafana head coach, has been informed, as Rivaldo had been called up for the upcoming matches against Cape.”
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