EFA RACES AGAINST TIME TO APPOINT SIHLANGU COACH

MBABANE –The sands of time are slipping through the fingers of the Eswatini Football Association (EFA), as they work on appointing the national team, Sihlangu’s manager.

The urgency is real, as the chosen leader will face an immediate and tough challenge. This will be so as the 2025 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Qualifiers are looming on the horizon. They present a tough schedule set to unfold over a mere three months, starting in September. The new head coach will carry the weight of a 56-year-old national aspiration of qualifying for the continent’s premier football showpiece. CAF has condensed the fixtures into a tight three-month window.

The group stages qualifiers’ draw was conducted last Thursday, where Eswatini was seeded in Group I. With the official fixture yet to be released, Mali, Mozambique and Guinea Bissau stand in the country’s pathway towards its maiden AFCON finals participation. Two games per month are lined-up to be played according to the programme. This means that Sihlangu has about two months to bolster its preparations for this tournament. The national team is just fresh from participating in the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) regional showdown. It is currently without a head coach, after former Coach Dominic Kunene was relieved of his duties early last month. National Under-23 Coach Sifiso ‘Nuro’ Ntibane was appointed the interim manager for the COSAFA tournament, as the EFA is in the process of hiring a new coach.

Applications

It has been over a month since the applications for this hot seat were closed. EFA said over 100 coaches applied when it was shut on May 31.  Meanwhile, EFA Marketing and Communications Officer Muzi ‘Rhoo’ Radebe, said on Thursday the process of hiring the new coach was still ongoing. He restated that ‘Nuro’ and his technical bench were tasked to lead Sihlangu for only the regional flagship. Ntibane was assisted by Under-20 mentor Mdududzi ‘Sikhalo’ Nxumalo, as well as Under-17 and Mbabane Swallows assistant gaffer, Sindiso Gama. Meanwhile, the Social and Recreational Games Eswatini (SARGE) President Nathi Dlamini, believed that Eswatini will cope with the tight schedule. Dlamini has faith in the recent COSAFA squad. “At least we’re not starting from scratch; we have a base of a very promising squad as we saw them, and they now have a direction. We’ll just need to bring in some few senior players to balance the squad,” he said.

Nurtured

Dlamini said Ayanda Gadlela and Sizolwethu Shabalala need to be nurtured, to build confidence so they deliver for the nation. He said goal king in Green Mamba’s Captain Sabelo Ndzinisa, needs to be recalled to groom them. “Let the process of hiring the new coach go as smooth as they can, because we want EFA to hire a coach who will deliver to the expectations of the nation.  He will have less time to familiarise himself in the office, but ‘Nuro’ could still be appointed to work with the incoming coach,” the president said.     

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: