ZI-RIGHT NGE-WANDERERS ‘IZI-GIRLS’!

MBABANE – Disaster.

This describes the current situation at Manzini Wanderers Ladies team, affectionately known as ‘Izi-girls’, who have suffered a huge blow after 16 players were confirmed to have resigned a week before the kickoff of the Women’s Football League 2021/2022 season. Only three players maintained their loyalty to form the foundation of what team manager Mduduzi Maseko and coach Bongani Makhukhula will build on.

The resigned players had registered with the team ahead of the league kick-off slated for November 6, 2021. Wanderers are the 2020/2021 league champions who recently represented the kingdom in the inaugural CAF Women’s Champions League and despite their exit they boast the crème de la crème of players who also play for the women’s senior national team, Sitsebe.

disappointment

Maseko openly declared disappointment in the turnout of events, saying the mass resignation of the players has thrown their plans and preparations for the season into disarray. He pointed fingers at some of the former executive members, blaming them for conspiring to destroy the team. It is clearly a race against time for the maroon and white ladies team that has only 10 days to recruit and train new players or risk missing out on the opening league fixtures.

He said the resigned players had migrated to form Vovovo Ladies Football Club as it had been reported that they had undergone trials early this month at the Prince of Wales Ground. Premier League teams are under pressure to form ladies teams as it will be one of the registration requirements for all teams next season as decreed by the Confederation of African Football Association (CAF).

“The players submitted their resignations to the captain Gcinile Zwane but unfortunately she is really sick and hasn’t sent them to the office. We are starting from scratch with only three players remaining. I am so disappointed because the proper procedure was not followed yet they had to get their clearances. The team won’t die and we have started the recruiting process,” Maseko said.

Coach Bongani Makhukhula also voiced out his dejection about the exodus of the team he had groomed for over five years. He said this has derailed the future plans he and the players had. “The growth of the players reflects growth on my part as a coach. Now I have to start from the ground up. We had ambitions of going to CAF and hoped to win the league again but that has all been run under the bus. Our plans have already been disturbed and there is no team to train,” Makhukhula said.

One of the three remaining players who is a midfielder requested not to comment on the matter. Meanwhile, efforts to get a comment from Vovovo FC’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Stan Dlamini were unsuccessful as his phone rang unanswered and messages sent to the team’s Public Relations Officer (PRO) Mercy Nhlengetfwa  were not responded to. When called for comment, Nhlengetfwa said she was barred by the executive from communicating with the media.
“I’m sorry but I can’t comment on the matter. We were told not to talk to the media,” said Nhlengetfwa.

Meanwhile, any person subject to the FIFA Statutes and regulations who acts in a manner designed to induce a breach of contract between a professional and a club in order to facilitate the transfer of the player shall be sanctioned. Below are some of FIFA’s provisions about players’ transfers, termination of contracts during a season and consequences.

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