E1M FOR PLAYERS’ ALLOWANCES

MBABANE – They are striking it rich.

The national team, Sihlangu’s heroic performance in the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) Cup is earning the players big in allowances. The Eswatini Football Association (EFA) is expected to spend close to E1 million paying the players allowances. These include training allowances, winning bonuses and a share of prize money if they win something. The players are now guaranteed to play at least two more games in the COSAFA Cup. The four losing quarterfinalists drop to the Plate competition, which has a semifinal and a final. According to cosafa.com, this is to ensure that teams who lose in the Cup quarterfinals don’t go home having played just one match. If Sihlangu beats Senegal in the quarter-finals tomorrow, they will meet the winner between Botswana and Zambia, while if they lose in the quarter-finals, they continue in the plate competitions.

According to a source attached to the team, EFA is expected to spend more than last year when they forked out about E700 000, when the team brought home the bronze medal. The source said this time EFA will be spending big in terms of allowances as the team progressed to the quarter-final of the tournament, and there is also the plate competition which adds the number of games. The players get E3 000 each for a win and E1 500 for a draw, while training allowances stand at E500 a day. Sihlangu players have already spent over 10 days in camp and they will be training at least until July 16. If they continue winning, they will make it big financially.

“At least they will be earning so much money through their hard work. The more they progress in the tournament, the more they are increasing their allowances,” the source said.
The Dominic Kunene-led side defied all odds in the tournament. They recorded a 3-0 win against Mauritius, before 1-all draw with Malawi who were favourites in Group B. Then came the big moment this past Sunday, when they beat then group leaders, Lesotho, by 2-0 to book a spot in the quarters. The team Captain Lindo Mkhonta said they were going all out to win the tournament or at least reach the finals. He said they wanted to make history by being the first Eswatini COSAFA team to reach the final or bring the trophy home. EFA Communications and Marketing Officer Muzi Radebe who is in Durban, South Africa, for the COSAFA Cup, has been reluctant in commenting about the players allowances as he claims it is administrative.

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