Times Of Swaziland: PLE IN PARTICIPATION FEE PAYMENT DRAMA

PLE IN PARTICIPATION FEE PAYMENT DRAMA
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BY CHRIS DLAMINI on 30/12/2021 08:31:00


MANZINI - Payments gone wrong.
That is what has left the Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) Executive Committee
with an egg on their faces. Just last week, this publication reported the PLE
double paid First Division League side Pigg’s Peak Black Swallows in
participation fee for the current 2021/22 season. It was reported Black Swallows
received E40 000 instead of E20 000 and were now expected to repay the extra
cash to the PLE after they had used it. As it has since turned out, Black
Swallows was paid E100 000 alongside Mhlume Peacemakers, which is participation
fee for the top league teams.
Relegated
The two teams were relegated at the end of last season to the MTN National First
Division League, while Vovovo and Rangers were promoted to the big boys’
league. The latter two deserved the E100 000 fee each. Investigations have
indicated that the PLE was moving from pillar to post to correct their payment
mistake. Premier League teams receive E100 000 as participation fee with
National First Division teams getting E20 000. “The two elite teams were then
given the rest of the money so they were sorted, but after they had also asked
questions after they had received E20 000 apiece initially, E80 000 less than
their actual participation fee,” an impeccable source said.
The source further said the challenge was with the First Division where some
teams must pay back the money that was mistakenly given to them. Vovovo Public
Relations Officer (PRO) Sandile ‘Ntofo’ Dlamini said he had not been made
aware of the matter and asked to consult. Upon doing that, he returned with a
terse ‘no comment’.
Peacemakers’ PRO Bheka Magagula also asked not to comment saying it was not
brought to his attention by the team’s authorities. He advised the club’s
director, Sibusiso ‘Scorpion’ Nxumalo who is also a legislator to be
reached. Nxumalo is also a member of the PLE Executive Committee. However, there
was no immediate response from Nxumalo. Black Swallows’ Director and PLE
Executive  Committee member, Charles Matsebula, said he was in a meeting for the
better part of the day yesterday.
The Times Sports Desk has since established that they had already started the
process to repay the money. PLE Chief Operations Officer (COO) Pat Vilakati said
this was a confidential issue between the PLE and the affected clubs. “We have
a lot of clubs owing us but we can’t reveal figures and names unless the teams
agree to share with the media then we can’t interfere,” Vilakati said. The
organisation’s Chairman Mark Carmichael had acknowledged last week that they
had mistakenly used last season’s template when the payments were made but
they were working around the clock to recover the money paid out mistakenly.