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Billiat finally reports for training after testing Zimbabwe's patience ahead of Afcon

Khama Billiat flirted with the patience of Zimbabwe fans over the last week but finally reported for training on Monday and is expected to be included when the final 23-man squad to go to the African Nations Cup finals is named on Wednesday.

In terms of FIFA regulations‚ Billiat was only supposed to report to the camp a fortnight before Zimbabwe’s first game at the tournament in Gabon and he kept strictly to the letter of the law despite Zimbabwe wanting him to join their preparations earlier.

Mamelodi Sundowns had told Billiat to take time off after the exertions of a long and demanding year‚ including the lengthy travel to and from Japan for last month’s Club World Cup.

So while the rest of the 31-man Zimbabwe preliminary squad – save for Belgian-based Knowledge Musona – were working out in training in preparation for the trip to Gabon‚ Billiat was partying it up in Harare‚ where he failed to go unnoticed by social media and caused something of a media storm.

Questions about his absence were raised at the weekend but coach Calistus Pasuwa refused to be drawn into criticism of his star attacker.

But if he was frustrated‚ it seems to be a thing of the past after Billiat finally reported for duty.

“We are happy with that. He had been rested to recover from the effects of that hectic season‚” the Zimbabwe Football Association communications officer Xolisani Gwesela told Tuesday’s edition of the state-run herald newspaper.

“And whatever he may have done during that period‚ remember he is an adult who has got his own private life.

"As an association we don’t have jurisdiction over the players’ personal lives especially when they are outside national team camp.”

Zimbabwe will continue their training in Harare through the week before going to Cameroon for a friendly international on Sunday and then on to Franceville‚ where they have been drawn in Group B with Algeria‚ Senegal and Tunisia.

They are expected to have a healthy contingent of South African-based players in their squad. - TMG Digital