EFA REQUESTED E29.2M SLASHED

MBABANE – Revealed! The Eswatini Football Association (EFA) has allegedly received significantly less funding than requested for the 2025/26 financial year. An impeccable source close to the local football governing body exclusively revealed that the E7.5 million they received is far below the amount they tabled before the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs. The source explained the usual process, the EFA submits a request to the ministry, outlining their required budget, which is then forwarded to the Parliamentary Budget Committee (PBC). The PBC then presents the request to the Ministry of Finance for approval.  According to the source, the EFA had submitted an estimated budget of E29.2 million to the ministry.  

They were, therefore, surprised to receive only E7.5 million, an amount announced by the Minister for Finance, Neal Rijkenberg, during his budget speech in Parliament on Friday.
Rijkenberg presented government’s financial blueprint of E32.61 billion, which included an increased allocation for Sihlangu, the national team, from the previous E5 million to E7.5 million. “The EFA requested the E29.2 million to cater for all the national teams, from juniors to seniors,” the source stated.  They added that part of the requested sum was intended to support local teams participating in continental competitions.

An investigation by this publication has revealed that the ministry, after receiving the EFA’s budget, reduced it to E10 million before presenting it to the PBC. This was confirmed by a source close to the Bongani Nzima-led ministry, who suggested that despite the shortfall, the EFA was pleased with the E2.5 million increase. Meanwhile, EFA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Frederick Mngomezulu was unavailable for comment.  His phone rang unanswered, and he did not reply to a message sent by the time this report was compiled. It is worth mentioning that the 2025/26 recurrent budget ceiling for the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs was set at E78 151 00, while in 2024/25 it was standing at E73 581 00.

For the 2025/26 financial year, it is anticipated that the budget allocations for South Africa’s Bafana Bafana and the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) will reflect a continued commitment to enhancing sports development in South Africa. Bafana Bafana may receive a budget of approximately R180 million, aimed at covering operational costs, such as player and staff salaries, training camps and international match expenses. This funding is crucial for ensuring the national football team is well-prepared for upcoming competitions. On the other hand, SASCOC is projected to be allocated around R550 million to support athlete development across various sports disciplines. This budget will facilitate training, development programmes and preparations for major international events.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: