MBABANE – Gifted winger Justice ‘Figa’ Figuareido returned to haunt his former employers last night, delivering a tactical masterclass to guide Chippa United to a dominant 3-0 victory over Richards Bay.
The Eswatini international was the undisputed architect of destruction, bagging a brace of assists to provide a massive boost to the Chilli Boys’ Betway Premiership survival hopes.
With Figuareido finding his stride at the perfect time, all eyes now turn to the Sihlangu Semnikati selection. The playmaker famously netted a brace in a 2-2 ‘dead rubber’ World Cup Qualifier against Angola on October 8, 2025—a result that was not enough to save Eswatini from finishing at the basement of their group, missing out on the upcoming North American showpiece.
Interim coach Sifiso ‘Nuro’ Ntibane recently named a 23-member squad of locally-based players to begin weekly training this Tuesday, February 17. However, the big question remains: Has Figuareido done enough to secure his spot for next month’s crucial two-legged Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Preliminary Round qualifier against Eritrea?
If selected, the Chippa star will join a growing contingent of Eswatini exports, who now exceeds half a dozen following the recent move of Nsingizini Hotspurs’ trio—Sambulo Simelane, Neliswa Dlamini and Kwakhe Thwala—to Zimbabwe.
Eswatini’s battle for a place in the AFCON group stages is set for March 25-31, 2026. On this form, leaving Figuareido out seems an impossible task for Ntibane.
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