NEW YEAR MELODRAMA!

My dearest readers ...

Complications of the new revolution...err compliments of the new year. We start off the new year with melodrama all around. Sadly, we kick off on a bad note after some lousy louts calling themselves Mbabane Swallows fans manhandled our reporter, Machawe Fakudze, who was merely doing his job, following their despicable acts of baying for Coach Christopher Ennin’s blood.

This happened after the sickly-as-a-parrot Swallows of Mbabane suffered their second loss in a row at the hands of rookies Rangers FC 1-2. That they mistook Fakudze, who God is a witness, cannot hurt a straying fly even if it sat on his nose, for a punching bag is irrational behaviour, which has come to characterise Swallows this season. In three of the four defeats they have suffered this season, the club’s fans misbehaviour has left a lot to be desired.

This is affront of the Swallows culture of love and peace. It is against everything that its late chairman, Victor ‘Maradona’ Gamedze inculcated in building the brand to what it was in this country and in the African continent where the ‘Birds’ were once among the top 16 teams. Clearly the Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) needs to mete out heavy fines to nip this kind of thuggish behaviour in the bud. Swallows fans are law onto themselves and they are taking the frustration of their team’s abysmal performance this season on the wrong people.

Violence

Violence has no place in our football. As the ‘Iron Duke’ of South African football, Dr Irvin Khoza once remarked when Pirates fans invaded the Loftus Stadium following a 6-0 massacre by Mamelodi Sundowns, violence is not an answer. “Violence has no place in our football. No matter how strong we feel, no matter how aggrieved we are, when we engage in violence it defeats the legitimacy of our feelings and grievances. Violence is not an answer. Violence diminishes your reasons no matter how good they are. Whether it be out of frustration, resignation, a legitimate protest, once it becomes violent, all the reasons are diminished even if they are good or legitimate,” the all-too-powerful Orlando Pirates Football Club chairman opined. And he was right. What did the lousy louts benefit in attacking coach Ennin and manhandling our reporter?

Nothing, Zilch, fokol, nada. Instead another hefty fine that will be paid by the club is on its way. The Eswatini Football Association (EFA) Disciplinary Committee must do the honourable thing – let them fry. We cannot allow a bunch of losers to hold our football to ransom. Say your say Dr Khoza: “Violence is now shaping and obsessing our society. If we do not stop it, it will stop us and our children will have a bleak future.”

Look now, one is wasting precious space addressing a bunch of nincompoops who should be coming nowhere near a soccer stadium when the league competition itself is worth celebrating. We are addressing an anomaly because it ought not to have happened when we should be celebrating how the Moneni Buccaneers  threw the race for the first round E200 000 carrot wide open by inflicting the first defeat on Royal Leopard so beautifully on Saturday. Gcina Dlamini’s predominantly youthful side has already shown all three security forces side flames. It was first Young Buffaloes on November 20 at Tambankulu Stadium in a 2-0 win; then Green Mamba felt their wrath on December 29 in a 2-1 victory before last Saturday’s 3-2 win over Royal Leopard.

enthralling

The MTN league is proving to be enthralling and gruelling in equal measure. What can one say about Tambankulu Callies humbling Mbabane Swallows 4-2  in midweek only to be brought down to mother earth by Milling Hotspurs 3-0? Great stuff! High-flying Manzini Wanderers, blessed with Nyanga ‘Crooks’ Hlophe’s ‘babes,’ are confounding their critics with some scintillating performances and results. Perched on number four, the ‘Weslians’ will cross swords with the vintage Moneni Pirates in the Manzini derby on Saturday at Mavuso Sports Centre in what is no doubt the ‘Pick of Week Nine’ fixtures. Mbabane Highlanders took advantage of Leopard’s defeat to close the gap at the top to just a single point. ‘Inkunzemnyama’ have made the best start since the 2015/16 season when they narrowly lost the league title on the final day of the season to Royal Leopard.

In the talented Tony ‘Ben 10’ Machacha they have found a man who is sharing goal-scoring duties with the goal-a-game top man and captain Sabelo ‘Sikhali’ Ndzinisa with great aplomb. Next on the Highlanders menu is the wounded Tambankulu Callies in another interesting clash though, the ‘Black Bull’ have won the last three games against ‘Bobhejane’.

unabated

Malanti Chiefs’ traumatic start to yet another season continues unabated. The Pigg’s Peak-based side, just like last season, are on the basement of the log standings after suffering their eighth defeat in nine games. Only one point – gained in a goalless draw with equally disappointing Denver Sundowns on November 13 at KaLanga Technical Centre – four goals and 20 conceded, this is pure relegation form. After a promising start, Vovovo FC have suffered two losses in a row – 2-3 to Manzini Wanderers last Tuesday and Sunday’s 0-1 defeat to recuperating Young Buffaloes. Other than the distasteful events that marred Saturday’s game at King Sobhuza II Memorial, there is no doubt Rangers FC 2-1 win can rightly be christened as one of the shock results of the season. The Shiselweni-based outfit were winless in six games before earning their third win of the season against the softer than a marshmallow Mbabane Swallows. How the mighty have fallen! For us neutrals, we say bring it on. What a new year melodrama!

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