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By XOLISILE SACOLO | 2024-12-27
SOCCER - THE nation stands to get nothing in return as dejected Sihlangu Semnikati players and the technical bench have been left demoralised.
With the players hoping for a smooth build-up to one of the biggest football matches in the country's history, the camp has been filled with dismay and controversy, resulting to uncertainty. Bongiswa ‘Owa’ Matsebula is said to have skipped camp.
It would, in fact, not be too strong a term to label it chaotic: the skipping of camp by one player. the moral is down after they got a meagre E400 and the indecisiveness on whether or not to release players for Christmas.
Sihlangu visit Madagascar for the CHAN Qualifiers second leg match to be played in Mauritius on Sunday, needing to win 3-0 to book their berth in the finals.
The most crucial question has been around disciplining the player, who has skipped camp, as the coach once did the same thing but nothing was done to him.
A source within the national team set-up made it clear that there was so much confusion there. “I do not want to lie, the moral is down, in fact there is so much confussion.
The players are not happy with the E400 received. They feel this is an insult. One player has already skipped camp and we do not know his whereabouts,” said the source.
He said there was so much confusion because even some of the officials were not happy with the selected players.
“It is total chaos. How do you motivate the players when they are not happy with getting E400? I do not know what will eventually happen because they are also debating on whether to release the players for Christmas or not.” The source said the feeling was that some players might not return to camp once released.
“Let us wait and see. What I know is that even the coaches are not happy because assistant coach Sifiso ‘Nuro’ Ntibane received E600 while the head coach was given E40 000 as travelling allowance,” said the source.
The source said the other problem was how were they going to discipline the player who skipped camp because the coach did the same thing and he was not even suspended. “The FA executive is toothless to say the least.
“I can also say that they were divided on the issue of the coach as some felt he should be suspended after he disappeared from Sihlangu where he missed two crucial games.”
EFA Marketing and Communications Manager Muzi Radebe only confirmed that Bongiswa ‘Owa’ Matsebula had skipped camp.
“I have been made aware that the player is not in camp and we do not know his whereabouts. As for the issue of the money, I have no comment because such issues are between the employer and employee.” He said he was also not sure if the players would be released for Christmas.
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