By MGCINI DUBE | 2024-11-05

SOCCER - STRANGE tactics outside the field of play!
It would seem capital city sides Mbabane Swallows and Mbabane Highlanders are facing troubled times ahead of the big Mbabane Derby. Both giants have been making headlines for the wrong reasons in recent times.

The biggest teams in the country will clash in the first instalment of the Mbabane derby to be hosted at Mavuso Sports Centre this weekend.

The ‘Beautiful Birds’ are faced with a serious financial crisis, which has resulted in the players approaching former boss Princess Lungile to come to their rescue.

This was after the players received half of their salaries, which did not sit well with them.  There is also the issue of the leadership battle in the team, as a Mbabane Swallows Football Club faction claims Princess Lungile allegedly held ownership of Mbabane Swallows (Pty) Ltd, and did not have any stake in the football club itself. 

Swallows made it clear that they were in a financial crisis with the club’s Elders now concerned about the lack of financial accountability.  The Elders are of the view that the team belonged to the Gamedze family. 

Mbabane Swallows Public Relations Officer (PRO) Knowledge Ngwenya also acknowledged that the team was in a mess in as far as debts are concerned, as Chairman of the Elders Absalom Ngwenya revealed as such.

“As a team, we are open to any financial support from stakeholders and companies to aasist the team," said Ngwenya.

On the other hand, Highlanders have failed to impose themselves on the domestic scene and they have been struggling in recent times.

The 'Black Bull’ have had to suspend all the team's activities, including training sessions, as a faction of supporters are calling upon their Managing Director Chief Ally Kgomongwe to step down.

One of the reasons the team took such a drastic decision was to protect the players from a clique of supporters who have a tendency to invade the training ground, thus exposing players to violent acts.

Highlanders PRO Kenneth Dlamini also acknowledged that the team was going through a rough patch.

In terms of form, Mbabane Highlanders have lost all their last three matches after winning 2-1 against Rangers in the previous encounters. Mbabane Swallows, who are defending champions of the league, have only lost once in six games.

This was during their last league match, where they let in one goal against Moneni Pirates.

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