Swazi Observer

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EFA TO ROYAL LEOPARD RESCUE

By SABELO GWEBU | 2021-10-14

SOCCER - THE country's Total CAF Champions League envoys Royal Leopard will only have to worry about getting positive results in Angola. The Eswatini Football Association (EFA) will fork out at least E564 967 for their trip to Angola today. The MTN Premier League champions will face off with Sagrada Esperanca for a place in the group stages of Africa's premier club competition. An EFA insider confided to the Eswatini Observer Sports Desk that once again, the mother body would take care of the air ticket costs.

"EFA will buy tickets for Leopard. EFA's support is not monetary but materialistic hence it pays for the air tickets directly," the insider said A return ticket between Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport and Luanda cost E18 832.26 per head. With a delegation of 30 people, the figure will shoot to over E560 000. EFA Marketing and Communications Officer Muzi Radebe also confirmed the association's support to teams participating in CAF inter-club tournaments. "As a norm, the association helps teams competing in CAF tournaments but as for with what, that is decided by the executive committee," Radebe said.

Leopard Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Frank Hurube confirmed the figures involved in an interview early this week. Expenses "It is not a cheap tournament to play in and as it has been the case, we trust the football association will help us with the expenses. The FA has always come through for us," Hurube said. Meanwhile, Leopard, who have not played a competitive game since eliminating Zambian giants Zesco United in the preliminary rounds, were in Mpumalanga, South Africa last Saturday to play a series of friendly games in Naas.

The police ensemble won both matches against Mpumalanga All Stars and Sivutsa Stars by 3-1 score lines. Leopard are expected to leave for Angola today for Saturday's Total CAF Champions League first leg clash before hosting the second leg next Saturday at Mavuso Sports Centre. A Leopard win will not only book them a place in the group stages of the tournament, but will guarantee them a whopping E8.1 million in prize money.

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