SOMHLOLO LIGHTS BRING DARKNESS TO A BRIGHT FOOTBALL DAY

(At Somhlolo National Stadium)

If you are sick, you go to a doctor. If your car is broken, you take to a garage. What then are we to do with the never resolved and problematic Somhlolo National Stadium lighting system?

For the umpteenth time an official fixture had to be called off because of this never resolved Somhlolo National Stadium lighting system. On Saturday it was the same story – a Midas City versus Mbabane Swallows quarter-final clash was abandoned in extra time. Director of Sports Sipho Magagula told our sister newspaper, the Times Sunday, that the lights would be out until March 31. But the SwaziBank Management Committee (MC) led by chairman, Nichodemus ‘Ace’ Mashwama through its Secretary John Mazibuko offered a flimsy excuse that they had not anticipated the games would go to extra time. How funny!

If this was not serious it would be laughable. I am certain Mazibuko does not anticipate being a comedian in his next life because after Saturday’s shambles, it happened again yesterday. Why the SwaziBank MC never acted promptly by bringing the games forward by one hour – the first game starting at 1pm and the second game at 3pm?

For starters, the SwaziBank Cup Under-20 Knockout games should have started even earlier  than 10am, maybe at 8am and worse still the second quarter final game pitting Manzini Wanderers and Royal Leopard went to the part of the game, which Mazibuko had not anticipated - extra time. If this is not poor planning on the part of the SwaziBank Cup MC, then the word has lost its meaning.
pro-active

The SwaziBank Cup MC should have been pro-active to avoid another game being called off because frankly, you do expect extra time in a knockout competition especially if covered by the very same rules you formulated. A committee that knows what it is doing will always leave a room for ‘extra time’ in particular when fully aware of a correspondence indicating the lights are out until month end.
 As it is, the paying customer, the fans, who are the lifeblood of the sport, are clearly being taken for a ride. No, they are being taken for a ride and are expected to pay the petrol too!

This is not funny anymore. When a rare-as-hen’s-tooth crowd attendance touching on 5 000 is seen at Somhlolo National Stadium and then all those people go home disappointed then you being to wonder if our football officials really care at all. From the moment Green Mamba and Royal Leopard game went to half time, more than half the people in the stadium left in droves because they knew the game would be abandoned. Is this the situation we want to create in our football? Why then do we even blame people from not attending soccer games?

 Football fans are not fools. It is for this simple reason they do not attend games because those entrusted with running the game take the lifeblood of the sport (the fans) for granted.
The abandoned Green Mamba/Leopard was a bitter end and brought – excuse the pun- darkness to a distinctively bright football day. It overshadowed the edge-on-your-seat quarter-final clash in which the real aristocrats of Swazi football, Mbabane Highlanders, reminded everyone that they are back on football’s top table, edging out a hard fighting Moneni Pirates 6-5 in penalties after a pulsating 2-2 draw after 120 minutes of scintillating football.
What a game!

But then again, lights took centre stage, leaving the football fans and everyone associated with the game in complete ‘darkness’ – literally!

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