‘WESLIANS’ FAIL TO REGISTER PLAYERS

MBABANE – Huge blow! Manzini Wanderers’ aspirations to rebuild their squad have been severely hindered due to significant difficulties in accessing registration platforms.
These are the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA)-Connect and Transfer Matching System (TMS) registration platforms. This technical setback, combined with their ongoing court case, has placed the maroon and white giants in a precarious situation, rendering them unable to register any new players during the recently-closed transfer window.
The ‘Weslians’ are waiting for an outcome in their upcoming court case, set for February 10, 2025 (next Monday), to enhance their squad. They are facing a Supreme Court appeal initiated by Moneni Pirates, following Judge Mumcy Dlamini’s ruling on September 27, 2024, which was in their favour in the marathon relegation case.

Overturned

This initial court ruling overturned a prior decision made by the Eswatini Football Association (EFA) Appeals Board, dismissing a protest lodged by the ‘Weslians’ concerning the eligibility of Denver Sundowns’ player Jimoh Moses during a crucial relegation match held at Somhlolo National Stadium on May 19, 2024. A source close to the club elaborated on the registration predicament: “Even if the court case goes our way, we can’t register players. We’re locked out of the system. We’ve tried repeatedly to log in, but we’ve had no success.”
This sentiment was echoed by Wanderers’ Management Committee (MC) Chairman, Jabulani Dlamini, who acknowledged the club’s struggles.

“We are facing a double blow. The court case is one hurdle, but the inability to access the registration system is crippling us. Teams are also understandably reluctant to release players to us given our current situation,” he stated. Dlamini outlined the club’s contingency plans, saying, “We’re considering promoting our Under-19 players to the senior team. We’ve also had an offer from another club to loan us some players, which we’re exploring. It’s a difficult situation.” He opted not to disclose the name of the club or the players involved. Expressing his frustration, Dlamini remarked,

“We desperately need to strengthen the squad, especially with the backlog of fixtures we face. We won the initial case in September, and it’s those who appealed that are in court, not us.”
He added that should the court uphold the September ruling, they will request a two-week grace period from both the EFA and the Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) to sort their player registrations and prepare for the league. As it stands, Wanderers are yet to kick a ball in an official match this season and have already missed out on participating in the ongoing Ingwenyama Cup. Their division is yet to be determined pending the appeal in court. Registering players through FIFA Connect can be particularly challenging when a team’s division is yet to be determined.

Eligibility

FIFA has strict eligibility rules that dictate how players can be registered for competitions. If a team’s division is not established, it complicates the application of these rules, as different divisions may have varying requirements for player registration. FIFA Connect is designed to help Member Associations systematically register players, coaches and referees. When the division of a team is uncertain, it can hinder the ability to accurately categorise and track players within the system, leading to potential delays or errors in registration. The registration status of players can be affected by their team’s division. If the division is not confirmed, it may prevent players from being properly registered or recognised within the FIFA Connect system, as the system relies on clear categorisation to manage player eligibility and history.

Complications

In a nutshell, the uncertainty surrounding a team’s division creates complications in adhering to FIFA’s eligibility rules and the systematic processes required for player registration, ultimately leading to difficulties in utilising FIFA Connect effectively.

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