EFA HIRES COACH FOR ‘FANS’ TO WATCH SIHLANGU

MBABANE – About 50 spectators watched the Eswatini senior national team Sihlangu do battle against Burkina Faso on Tuesday.

This is contrary to the ‘no fans allowed at FNB Stadium’ declaration by the Eswatini Football Association (EFA) last week ahead of Sihlangu’s home away from home second Group B match of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Cup 2023 Qualifier game. The first leg clash was played on Tuesday afternoon in Johannesburg, South Africa (SA). Eswatini lost 1-3 despite having taken a 65th minute lead through forward and assistant Captain Sabelo ‘Sikhali’ Ndzinisa.  The EFA had declared no fans in the match, saying it was as per the agreement with the SA counterparts’ stadium management.

However, impeccable sources have claimed that on match-day, a coach bus under one of the public transport buses was hired alongside a Quantum kombi, to ferry some people within the EFA stakeholders to the match at FNB Stadium or Soccer City as the world-renowned arena is also fondly known since the 2010 World Cup it partly hosted. “It was all a last-minute arrangement and about 50 of us made it, some stayed behind due to the fact that it was short notice as we were informed the night before the trip and in the morning for some of us. “As we rushed to get all things ready, the Coach from Muhle Tours was also on its way to Sigwaca House where we all converged and departed from. Even ordinary EFA workers travelled because the executive members from all the stakeholders could not make it in such a short time,” an impeccable source. Another source said: “There was a coach (bus) for us as stakeholders of the EFA  from our respective domains.”

Tickets

This publication was made to understand that the issue of the senior national squad’s games in terms of tickets being availed to executives was discussed, even before the fixtures started last Friday, at executive level. “The response was that there were no tickets available as SA did not agree to fans until a letter the EFA claims to have received on the evening before the match, which is why we had to rush for our passports and COVID-19 results early on Tuesday,” said a source. It was established that coaches, referees, women football, EFA Technical Committee, PLE Executive Committee, EFA Executive Committee and the ordinary worker of football were all represented in the trip to the FNB Stadium.

Efforts to establish the costs involved, even with Muhle Tours Services, failed at the time of compiling this report. Furthermore, some of the people who had the privilege to travel to Soccer City affirmed that they were called in the eleventh hour to be ready for the trip. EFA Communications and Marketing Officer Muzi Radebe said it was not fans they sent to the game but football personnel from their various stakeholders. “It all happened on the eve of the match in the evening so everything was a rush. We were given a specific number and there was a list for accreditation,” Radebe responded when questioned how come they had said no fans were allowed. He insisted that all those who travelled were not fans but football personnel worth the accreditation after the SA stadium management approved officials’ attendance.

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