Times Of Swaziland: COVID-19: 2 VITA STARS  IN ESWATINI QUARANTINE

COVID-19: 2 VITA STARS  IN ESWATINI QUARANTINE
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BY CHRIS DLAMINI on 30/12/2020 23:30:00


MBABANE – Two AS Vita stars were left to quarantine in the country last week
after testing positive.
The duo of team Captain Jeremie Mumbere and central defender Guy Mfingi tested
positive for the coronavirus in their second test after their first leg clash of
the CAF Champions League 2020/21 against Young Buffaloes. The match finished in
a 2-all draw at Mavuso Sports Centre over a week ago. CAF denotes Confederation
of African Football.
They had to stay behind when the club left last Thursday through the King Mswati
III International Airport at Sikhuphe.  The duo added to three other positive
players who they had to leave at an airport in Kinshasa after testing positive.
These include former Mbabane Swallows dreadlocked midfielder Papy Kabamba and
Pascal Mbarga.
Mumbere was in the starting lineup in Manzini while Mfingi did not take part,
with sources claiming his temperature a few hours before the match was
suspicious and he was not on the team list.
The Kinshasa trio tested negative in their second test after quarantine and
returned home while those in Eswatini are believed to have left the country last
weekend. The duo that was left behind in Eswatini was confirmed by the club on
its Facebook page.
“The group came home without Captain Jeremie Mumbere and central defender Guy
Mfingi. These two players tested positive for coronavirus. So, they stayed in
Eswatini in quarantine waiting for the second confirmation test,” read the
statement in part.
Confidential
It further states that the five players being the trio that tested positive on
their way here for the first leg last Tuesday in Manzini and the duo that tested
positive here were due to pass a collective training this past Monday morning on
the Ujana Academy Field.
The pre-match and post-match results were said to be confidential by the
Eswatini Football Association (EFA) when they were put to question on the risk
faced by Buffaloes, following that AS Vita players were already contacts to
their three teammates in Kinshasa.
The EFA Marketing and Communications Officer, Muzi Radebe, had explained that
the rules in football were that only a positive certificate leaves a player out
of a match while a negative one at the time allows one to play. This effectively
means one can enter the pitch negative and come out positive two to three days
later.
The good news was that Buffaloes did not have any challenges last week, at least
according to the players, but they are expecting new results before they can
depart for the second leg due for next Wednesday. Buffaloes will leave the
country on Sunday.
Radebe was called again yesterday about the Vita players who stayed behind and
said the EFA maintained a high level of confidentiality. He also explained that
CAF sends their own COVID-19 Compliance Officer who handles all these matters.