WANDERERS DEMAND INGWENYAMA CUP SLOT

MBABANE – Manzini Wanderers are back in court.
This time around, the inactive maroon and white outfit, through their legal representative SM Jele Attorneys, filed an urgent application with the High Court, seeking, among other prayers, to be included in the 2024/25 Ingwenyama Cup Last 32 games. They are requesting that the tournament be suspended until their demands are met. While a slot has been left open for Wanderers, who have a pending relegation case in court, they are not part of the opening Ingwenyama Cup games this weekend. They are not registered in any division this season, and Article 16 of the Ingwenyama Cup states that teams should participate in the tournament according to their seeding or current league standings.

The tournament is richly-sponsored by the Sincephetelo Motor Vehicle Accidents Fund (SMVAF). During the tournament’s draw, held this past Monday at the sponsor’s headquarters in Mbabane, the name Wanderers did not feature. The maroon and white giants were invited by the Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) for the Last 32 draw. This left the PLE with a standby team that are supposed to face Sisonkhe. The ‘Weslians’ want the decision to exclude them from the tournament to be reviewed and set aside. They also seek to be declared eligible to participate in the Ingwenyama Cup.

“Pending the finalisation of the prayers, the first respondent (Eswatini Football Association Competitions Committee) be interdicted and restrained from proceeding with the commencement of the round of 32 matches,” reads part of the court papers. The papers also highlighted that the respondents should file their notices to oppose and opposing affidavits, if any, by the close of business yesterday. Notably, all teams participating in the tournament have also been cited as respondents (fourth). It further stated that the matter will be heard today at 9:30am. Wanderers claimed that the Competitions Committee failed to communicate why they were excluded from the draw and subsequent participation in the Ingwenyama Cup, and neither were they ever called upon to make representations as to why they should be excluded.

“Prior to the decision of the 1st respondent, not only had the applicant been informed of the reasons why it was excluded, but neither was it ever called to any hearing to make any representation prior to the adverse and drastic decision which the 1st respondent made,” reads the papers. They stated that if the commencement of the games is not interdicted, Manzini Wanderers will suffer irreparable harm, as by then the matches would have been played to the prejudice of the applicant, with no reversal possible. It is important to highlight that Wanderers have recently clarified their position, stating that they were not in any legal disputes with the management committee (MC) of the Ingwenyama Cup.

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