Swazi Observer

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MBOMBELA SAYS NO TO EFA

By Sabelo Gwebu | 2022-05-19

SOCCER – THE country’s lack of a FIFA-standard football stadium or none thereof has forced the Eswatini Football Association (EFA) to run helter-skelter trying to acquire a venue for Sihlangu’s home matches in the Total Energies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.

Sihlangu will begin their 2023 AFCON qualifiers on June 3 away to Togo before hosting the ‘Stallions’ of Burkina Faso four days later, on June 7. The senior football national team’s road to the finals in Ivory Coast slated for June next year sees them in Group B, with Cape Verde also part of it.

Eswatini has no venue of FIFA standards that can host category ‘A’ CAF matches, and has once again been forced to seek refuge in neighbouring countries. CAF inspectors gave the red flag on Somhlolo National Stadium despite government reportedly spending in excess of E30 million for its refurbishment.

An impeccable source within the EFA executive has confided with this publication that the Mbombela Stadium has been closed for the winter season for maintenance purposes.

“We have just been turned down by Mbombela as their venue is closed for the winter season. We have approached Orlando Stadium, but the initial response we got was that already five nations have requested to use it, including Lesotho specifically for the AFCON qualifiers,” the source said.

With football pitches, the main problem associated with winter is the level of compaction, which leads to a loss of surface drainage, hence facility owners’ close their doors during this period. With longer playing seasons and busier fixtures, the renovation and maintenance period is getting shorter, with a brief eight-week closed season.

Immediately after the last game of the South African football season, renovations work will start with spiking to improve aeration, root development and drainage at Mbombela Stadium. EFA is now caught between a rock and hard place, with Mozambique being another option.

EFA Marketing and Communications Officer Muzi Radebe was brief as he said, “The issue you asking me about is still being discussed at administrative level, and the media will be alerted if there are any developments.”

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