‘BULL’S OVER E50 000 BLOW

MBABANE – It’s a double blow for the capital city giants. Losing the E1.3m at stake in the Ingwenyama Cup 2019 final to Young Buffaloes was seemingly not enough. News that their supporters’ misconduct in games continue to haunt them have transpired and the Premier League of Eswatini deducted just over E50 000 from their gate collection share.

The initial share was slightly over E197 000 per club. The final was played over a week ago at Somhlolo National Stadium with over 15 000 spectators, including His Majesty the king and former South Africa President Jacob Zuma and ended 4-1 in Buffaloes’ favour. The tournament’s Management Committee (MC) recorded a sold-out match as all 12 000 tickets were bought amounting to E600 000.

“Each club received E197 000 plus a few coins on the side from the E600 000 gate collection of the Ingwenyama Cup final. However, news is that Highlanders suffered because of their certain arrangements with the PLE to settle owed loans and fines,” said one impeccable source.
Highlanders have recently been reported that they owed over E200 000 in fines only and nearly the same amount in loans and pays it back through deductions from gate collections and any prizes received.

deduction

After this deduction, they ended up netting just over E146 000.
Tournament MC Secretary and PLE Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Simanga Nhleko could only say clubs received their gate share. “I can’t get into figures or details of arrangements we have with clubs save to say any of the two teams concerned can attest they received their money,” he said without disputing the E197 000 total share per team.

Instead, Nhleko said the gate collections’ information would be released at once as it was a report for the whole tournament from last 32 and will detail all the games’ collection. Highlanders CEO Thulani Khumalo said he was yet to get feedback from their treasurer. “What is true is that as clubs we survive through the gate collections so the fines are a big challenge for us because we end up having all money we get deducted and it’s something our supporters really have to change in stadiums,” he said.

He was called again later and referred questions to the treasurer, Alson Dlamini, who confirmed the news. It is understood the deductions will go on even in their prize monies being that of being runners-up in the Ingwenyama Cup and any prize to be received in MTN Premier League until they settle. If not, deductions will continue even next season. Highlanders are not the only club to have their prizes and gate collections deducted as several others have these arrangements with the PLE.

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