MBABANE – The chaos that marred Sunday’s final Ingwenyama Cup Last 16 encounter appears to have overshadowed a historic milestone for the country’s premier knockout competition.
The Sincephetelo Motor Vehicle Accidents Fund (SMVAF)-sponsored knockout tournament has entered uncharted territory, as the Mavuso Sports Centre witnessed a level of fan attendance unprecedented for this stage of the competition.
Historically, such staggering turnouts have been the exclusive preserve of the tournament’s twilight stages. In the previous two editions, stadiums only reached full capacity during the semi-finals.
Last season, for instance, the Mavuso Sports Centre was filled to the rafters for a semi-final double-header that saw recently dethroned champions Royal Leopard edge out security forces rivals Young Buffaloes 1–0, before crowd-pullers Mbabane Swallows clashed with Moneni Pirates.
On that occasion, fans spilled over the stands, which is a scene remarkably repeated just four days ago. A similar benchmark was set during the sixth edition at Somhlolo National Stadium, where over 10 000 fans attended the semi-finals.
That derby day featured Young Buffaloes against then-champions Green Mamba, followed by the fierce rivalry between Mbabane Swallows and Mbabane Highlanders.
However, Sunday’s action saw a massive turnout unusually early in the schedule. Over 5 000 fans crammed into Mavuso, with Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) Chief Executive Officer Pat Vilakati confirming that the figures significantly exceeded expectations. The day’s proceedings began with Ezulwini United hosting Moneni Pirates, followed by the ‘Black Bull’ welcoming ‘Insingizi Yezulu’.
The latter fixture appeared to be the primary draw, with the stadium reaching capacity as kick-off approached. Despite the atmosphere, the match was prematurely abandoned with just two minutes remaining on the clock.
With entry set at E50 per person, the 5 000 tickets sold generated a gross total of E250 000. Under tournament regulations, the Management Committee (MC) is entitled to 30 per cent of the gross gate takings, amounting to E75 000.
In previous seasons, the remainder was shared equally among the participating teams. Should no further deductions occur beyond the MC’s share, each of the four clubs would stand to pocket E43 750.
*Full article available on Pressreader*
Leave a comment