By Sibongiseni Zondi | 2018-07-19

SOCCER - MBABANE Swallows will spend about E500 000 for their trip to Tunisia to face Etoile Du Sahel in the CAF Champions League next week Friday.

Swallows will travel to Tunisia to face the Tunisian giants next week in what will be both sides’ fourth Champions League group stage match. Sahel trashed Swallows 3-0 on Tuesday at Mavuso Sports Centre to go three points clear at the top of Group D with the ‘Birds’ in second with four points.

Tickets

Swallows have little time to lick their wounds as they depart to Tunisia for the return leg on Tuesday, a trip that will cost the club about E500 000.

“We are leaving on July 24 (Tuesday) and we will come back home on the 29th. We will leave the country by road and then connect at OR Tambo International Airport in the evening of July 24 to Tunisia. Our tickets alone will cost around E350 000.

Then there is accommodation and food. That takes our expenditure to about E500 000. It’s a lot of money. As we always say, playing in Africa is expensive. Sahel came here through an airplane provided  to them by their country’s army so that saved them in terms of costs. But we cannot be crybabies. We will go there and fight,” Swallows General Manager Sandile ‘Beyond 2000’ Zwane said in an interview yesterday.

Facts

He then allayed Swallows’ fans fears following Tuesday’s results, adding that the Tunisians were a far more superior side.

“Emaswati shouldn’t despair. Sahel are a far superior side than us in terms of everything. That doesn’t mean we fear them, no, but those are just the facts. They are ranked fourth in Africa and we are ranked 23rd.

They brought a delegation of about 60 people here and we will only take 27 people to Tunisia. They are assisted by everyone in their country and that helps. Their team is good. So you have to understand all that, they are just a superior side. But that doesn’t mean we will give up. We don’t have their financial muscle but we will fight. Nothing is broken yet. We think four points will be enough to get us through but we will fight for every single one,” Zwane added.

He also announced that they would have all their new signings for next Friday’s clash. Swallows could only use Tarawallie Sallieu on Tuesday with the registration cards for their four other new signings not arriving back in time from CAF.

“We will have all our new signings next week. We couldn’t get their cards back in time for the match on Tuesday because these things take time. That will help boost our squad. Nothing is impossible in football. So we shouldn’t press panic buttons. We respect Sahel but we don’t fear them. We need to learn from them. We have already started rectifying our mistakes and we believe we can win away in Tunisia,” he concluded.

Upon returning from Tunisia, Swallows will then partake in the Eswatini Telecom Charity Cup on August 5 and then host Zesco United in the Champions League on August 18 before finishing their group stage campaign with a clash against Primeiro de Agosto on August 28.

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