50% PRIZE MONEY CUT FOR E1.3M DEBT

MBABANE – It’s payback time. At least 25 of the 26 PLS teams in both elite and First Division League must pay back an owed E1 354 188, 50. This is money accumulated this season and according to the PLS, it was way higher than this but because some clubs stuck to their payment arrangements, it went down.

“The season is coming to an end yet every owing club must have settled its debt with the office. Given that we have three league games remaining, we have resolved to impose a 50 per cent deduction on all clubs that never responded to our reminder for payments a few months ago.

“This will be effective in their prize monies from the various tournaments we have and their gate collections. Not all 25 owing teams will feel this punishment but several of them for not showing any commitment when we sent them reminders,” PLS COO Pat Vilakati confirmed.

Vilakati said only one club was declared clear of any pending debt but would not name any of the clubs as that would be against their work ethic.

“What’s important is that we’re still owed E1.3m and we want it back by end of the season so we’re stepping up our collection process. We’ll deduct 50 per cent from games and prize monies without any compromise,” he explained.
He said it was disturbing that among the owing teams, there were even elite clubs that had not paid or settled their referees’ fees for the season yet that is expected to have been fully paid by the start of the second round.
“The rules of the league allow us to deduct any monies from clubs due to us so we’re basically applying them,” Vilakati said.

Elite clubs are required to part with E30 000 to cover referees and match commissioners’ allowances, half of it payable before the start of the league and the other before the beginning of the second round.
For First Division, clubs pay E18 000 each and under the same conditions as the elite clubs. Vilakati said the owed referees and match commissioners’ fees amount to E275 190, 25 while fines add up to E574 611, 35.
The rest of the owed money is from loans that teams took from the PLS and some of these include giants Mbabane Highlanders, Manzini Wanderers and Red Lions among the whole lot. However, Vilakati could not quantify the loan’ figures immediately but said this total owed figure included them. He also explained that their records indicate there were clubs relegated to the First Division which made it hard to recover some of the monies over the years to the point that they write them off.

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