‘BULL’S ‘BIG DERBY’ SHARE ‘EQUALS’ 320 FANS

EZULWINI – More or less than 3 000 fans watched the country’s biggest fixture – Mbabane Highlanders versus Mbabane Swallows at Mavuso Sports Centre last month.

The fixture was played at Mavuso Sports Centre, where the country’s media and South Africa’s SuperSport pay-per-view channel covered it with the numbers impressive from both Highlanders and Swallows. Manzini Wanderers, who hosted Nsingizini Hotspurs in an earlier fixture that finished 2-all, had also had a good turnout. The Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) had said they would at least avail 4 000 tickets, but have a backup to cater for instances of more fans coming. Highlanders won the match 2-1.

During a meeting convened by the Simunye Group teams, Mbabane Highlanders, Mbabane Swallows, Manzini Wanderers, Moneni Pirates, Tambankulu Callies and Seven Dreams at the Happy Valley Hotel on Thursday night, it came out that the MoMo Service tickets had transparency issues as clubs were left with many questions than answers on the amounts they were receiving as their share. It has been one of the complaints by the clubs that they do not know how many tickets were sold for a game, how the money was distributed because it often reflected shockingly low figures than the numbers at the playing venues. The attending members, all clubs but Callies who reported being held up, said this was a challenge mainly in the big games like the MoMo Cup and the capital city derby between Highlanders and Swallows.

“We used to get from E80 000 to over E100 000 when I first came here in 2019 from the derby match but now we’re getting nothing, from E2 000 to E16 000 and that’s only commission for us as spend millions. Players want their money but we’re not getting any, despite spending millions. It’s important that we get ourselves sponsors and now we’ve got one we’re close to sealing everything with and as members of Simunye, we’ll start on a clean slate and get equal benefits from the sponsor in Cape Town,” Simunye Group Chairman and Highlanders South African Managing Director (MD) Chief Ally Kgomongwe said during a press briefing after their meeting at the hotel.
concurred
The other members, including elite rookies Seven Dreams boss, Bishop Bhekibandla Vilakati, Swallows’ Welile Mabuza, Moneni Pirates President Osborne ‘Ozila’ Nzima and Wanderers’ Bongani ‘Bhanyaza’ Mdluli all concurred with him. Some of the teams had also come with some of their renowned supporters. It was also agreed that having their own officials collect cash at the gate as fans pitch for games was the best thing than the MoMo tickets which the PLE announced fans can now go to the stadium without buying from the service provider but those who want to use it will still be able to purchase the ticket.

It is during the question and answer session that Kgomongwe said they received about E90 000 from the PLE as their gate share for five home games, excluding the one against Tambuti which they played in an empty stadium as a disciplinary measure for their supporters’ violent attack on referees against Manzini Sea Birds.

Applause

“This is what we’d get from the derby match alone but as is we don’t know how five home games including the derby can give us this much but we’re happy that at least even there’ll still be free entry for some fans through the very security we hire and pay ourselves, we’ll get much better returns than now,” he said to a round of applause with Bishop Vilakati also reiterating his words. The members appeared to agree in one voice that this was the best move by the PLE as they went for pre-sale tickets because they still had some officials helping themselves to the gate collections, while scammers also produced fake tickets.

Kgomongwe explained that their collections did not include the MoMo Cup, where his team played in the play-offs and finals. Highlanders’ home games have so far been against Tambankulu Callies, Denver Sundowns, Madlenya, Nsingizini Hotspurs, Tambuti and Swallows then today’s match against MTN Premier League leaders Young Buffaloes. However, Kgomongwe explained that the money came as a lump sum but they did not have much details about it save to say that it was for five home league matches.

This publication broke down the figure and found that Highlanders received money for about 300 or more fans per game. In the derby clash, a source alleged they got about E16 000, which is money for 320 tickets or fans who paid with each ticket selling at E50. For more or less 3 000 fans, if you calculate for 3 000 tickets, the gross is 150 000 before the required deductions which brings the figure down to about E81 000. Hosting teams share equally and here it was Highlanders and Wanderers. “We share 50 per cent with teams that have less than 10 fans then in the end get way too lower than what we expect given the numbers at the stadiums but the security, ambulances, deductions to PLE, stadium and EFA are also too much for us. From the E90 000 you subtract the security and paramedics bills, camp, food and money for the security and marshals, you are left with nothing.

Struggle

“This means very soon the smaller teams will struggle more and get relegated if not die a natural death because even the fines are too high for our football under the current environment, it’s like South Africa’s league now where the money is there,” Kgomongwe and the other members said in one voice as he responded to media questions at the hotel. It is worth mentioning that our sister publication, the Times Sunday had reported last weekend that Highlanders had not received a cent of gate collections since the start of the season and that they had also requested the PLE to furnish them with the tickets link, so they could see how their home tickets were sold, but in vain.

Highlanders had been expected to avail a MoMo account to get their share. It is in the same meeting that it was learnt that the Simunye teams were positive about rescuing relegation-threatened Wanderers with their reported new director, Helden Maja from South Africa in Pretoria, as it is said he will be buying a E2.5 million stake, an equivalent of 50 per cent of the 10 000 shares sold at E500 each.

PLE Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kenneth Makhanya was on national radio yesterday morning in the Eswatini Broadcasting and Information Services (EBIS) explaining the latest decision to bring back the old fashion method of paying at the gate to watch games. He explained that clubs were to provide five officials to guard the gates during matches alongside PLE representatives. “The MoMo tickets will continue being sold but fans can also go to the stadiums, they will be able to pay and watch the matches,” he said.

He explained that there had been concerns from fans and clubs about the MoMo tickets sale which they were working on rectifying with the league sponsor, MTN Eswatini. Makhanya also acknowledged clubs wanted to be able to view the link of the tickets sale but they could not do so which is why they have decided to allow clubs to revert to the old way. Meanwhile, Rangers recently made noise about their share from MoMo Cup finals last year which they strongly opposed and claimed it reflected that a handful watched the finals yet at least over 1 000 were at the Somhlolo National Stadium.

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