‘BIRDS’ STARS READY TO MULTITASK

MBABANE – Mbabane Swallows and national team Sihlangu star Kwakhe Thwala, is confident that they will manage their dual task this week.

Thwala, along with six of his teammates, are among the 22 players called up to start preparations for the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Qualifiers. The national team’s preparations kicked off yesterday, at the Eswatini Football Association (EFA) Technical Centre. They are led by interim Coach, Sifiso ‘Nuro’ Ntibane.  Swallows are simultaneously busy with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League preparations. They are set to travel to Mozambique this weekend, for a return leg match on Sunday against Clube Ferroviário da Beira. The players called up to the national team will need to strike a balance between club and national team commitments. However, Thwala has expressed confidence in handling the situation.

“There is no pressure. We have been there several times and we are used to big occasions. It’s just a matter of balancing things up by finishing club duties, and then focus on the national assignment,” the captain said. Regarding their Champions League campaign, he described it as unfinished business. He believes they will be able to eliminate Clube Ferroviário and face Mamelodi Sundowns. Swallows will take a 1-0 lead to the second leg. “There is no team that we fear as the ground is always level. Mamelodi is just a team like us, and we’re looking forward to playing them,” he said.

However, ‘Birds’ coach Caleb Ngwenya shared a different perspective, acknowledging the national call-ups, but noting the challenges they presented. “We’ll take it because that’s national service and they are needed there, but it puts us in a fix,” Ngwenya said. He lamented that issue of the injury-prone players in the squad, highlighting that it was due to insufficient rest during the off-season. When the 2023/24 season ended, seven players were immediately taken by the national team to play the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) tournament. Upon their return, they found pre-season already underway at the club. Meanwhile, four Nsingizini Hotspurs players were also selected for Sihlangu.

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