‘BIRDS’ PREPS CLASH WITH COSAFA DATES
MBABANE – The new dates for the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) Cup are set to clash with the preparations for the CAF Champions League.
According to a report from the regional soccer body’s Facebook page, the organisation is considering new dates for the 2024 COSAFA Cup and has committed to providing an update in the near future. The Southern Africa championship holds significant importance for the advancement of teams, players, and coaches, with a focus on ensuring maximum benefit from the event. The anticipated new dates for the tournament are in June or July of this year, aiming to provide optimal exposure for all stakeholders and facilitate a world-class competition that propels football in the region forward.
However, a renowned football website styled bolanews.com highlighted that the tournament was scheduled to be held in July. These dates coincide with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League preparations, which are set to start from July 1 to 20. Swallows are the country’s envoys in Africa’s premier club competition.
Training
This period includes training preparations, friendly matches and registration windows for players participating in the first round. Additionally, from July 21 to August 31, teams like Mbabane Swallows should have completed the registration of their players to participate in the second preliminary round. Notably, Swallows had five players in the national team preliminary squad. They included Leon Manyisa, Neliswa ‘Tiger’ Dlamini, Ayanda Gadlela, Siphosethu Mabilisa and Kwakhe Thwala. Manyisa and Gadlela have since been dropped.
These players are expected to be with Sihlangu in July while Swallows prepare for the main tournament of the TotalEnergies-sponsored tournament. It has also been reported that Swallows are set to resume training on June 10. Swallows Public Relations Officer Knowledge ‘Bhambo’ Ngwenya said they would await guidance from Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) and Eswatini Football Association (EFA).
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