NSINGIZINI BUYING WAY INTO PREMIER LEAGUE

MBABANE – After narrowly missing out on promotion, ambitious National First Division (NFD) outfit, Nsingizini Hotspurs are buying their way into the Premier League.

Despite a dominant display for the better part of their 2021/22 National First Division League campaign, the  first round champions missed out on promotion after finishing third with 44 points. The Shiselweni-based ensemble were five points behind second-placed Madlenya. Only the top two gets promoted to the Premier League. After their failed bid to gain automatic promotion, the team’s Marketing and Communication Director, Mphikeleli Dlamini, confirmed that they were involved in talks with some unnamed Premier League teams in an attempt to buy a status of one of them. This publication had contacted Dlamini to test the veracity of claims that the team had already bought Vovovo status. These reports had been posted on one of the local soccer social media sites. “We are still in talks with several teams and nothing has been concluded so far.

misleading

“The claims that we’ve bought Vovovo status are misleading,” he said. Magwegwe Dlamini, who is Chairman at Vovovo, also vehemently denied the reports of selling their status.
“The said team are yet to contact us, so these claims are not true,” he said. Meanwhile, it was reliably gathered that Hotspurs were willing to spend even half a million Emalangeni to realise their dream of playing on the big stage. Once the clubs agree on the sale, the deal will only become final once approved by the Premier League of Eswatini (PLE).

Hotspurs are led by shrewd Managing Director (MD), Derrick Shiba. Also in their structure is former Sihlangu Manager Jossiah ‘Digger’ Dlamini, among others. If Hotspurs’ bid becomes successful, they will become the second local team to buy a Premier League team’s status in the last five years. Back in 2018, Lubombo Super League outfit, Mhlume Peacemakers bought their way into the MTN Premier League after purchasing the status of then Matsapha United. Four years later, Peacemakers are heading back to the regions after failing to preserve their status in the country’s football second-tier.

Meanwhile, it is in South Africa where selling and buying statuses is becoming popular. Premier Soccer League (PSL) chairman Irvin Khoza, who is also Orlando Pirates boss, was once quoted by the South African media saying their hands were tied regarding the selling and buying of club statuses. He was quoted after Bidvest Wits confirmed they had agreed to sell their status to National First Division (NFD) club, Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM). AmaZulu purchased the status of Thanda Royal Zulu, who had secured promotion to the PSL from the NFD in 2017, while Cape Town City bought Mpumalanga Black Aces in 2016.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: