LEGENDS CALL FOR SPORTS FUNDING POLICY

MANZINI – Sports legends have proposed a policy that would make it compulsory for companies to fund sports in the country.

They believe this would reignite the morale of sports and revive the glory days. The legends, who represented various sporting codes in Eswatini and Mozambique, gathered at Manzini Catholic Centre yesterday afternoon for a Sports Indaba. They deliberated on the current challenges and possible solutions for sports development in the country. Two major issues that emerged were the lack of utilisation of legends and the financial instability of teams. Former Kaizer Chiefs star Absalom ‘Scara’ Thindwa lamented that legends were no longer valued by their teams, as they were not part of the technical team, especially in soccer, where there were special qualification requirements.

required

“Education has been a main barrier for some of us as some cannot afford to pay for their education expenses. We played in times where education was not key but now it is required. Moreover, you need to have cash to be recognised by your former team,” Scara said. Some legends, mainly in soccer, have retired and joined the technical bench of their former clubs. One example is Siza ‘King Pele’ Dlamini, who is now the physical trainer at Mbabane Swallows. “Teams are not financially stable, which we believe is where government has to come to the rescue. There must be certain policies put in place that make it compulsory for companies to direct a certain percentage towards sponsorship of clubs,” he added.

reinforcement

He argued that there must be ways to establish mutual reinforcement among the stakeholders. Echoing Scara’s sentiments, Mashayinkonjane’s Sifiso Nhlengetfwa called for the introduction of levies and income tax deductions meant for the development of sports. Nhlengetfwa believed that sports would continue to degenerate in the country if they were not turned into a business venture. “It is time that we start taxing even the cash prizes in sports and direct them to the upgrading of grassroots development and infrastructure. This must be a certain percentage that would be known to be deducted towards helping teams rent stadiums, finance their junior teams and so on,” he said.

He also suggested that government’s parastatals and companies must have a prerequisite that they take 10 per cent of their income tax returns and sponsor certain teams or tournaments. He saw this as a possible means to balance the competition, as some sporting codes were dominated by security forces teams. Some of these codes are netball and volleyball, besides soccer. The Sports Indaba comes at a time when there is still a pending Eswatini Sports and Recreation Council Bill 2020, which could have a lot of benefits if it were passed into an act. Some of these include professionalising sports, constructing facilities and creating job opportunities.

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