By Mthunzi Maziya | 2019-05-22
SOCCER – IN news that will come as sweet melody to Sihlangu coach, Kostadin Papic and his squad, their strongest opponent in the COSAFA Cup, Angola has pulled out.
Sihlangu were expected to start their COSAFA Cup campaign against the Angolans at King Zwelithini Stadium on Saturday, but that has all change. Sihlangu are now scheduled to face Mauritius on the same day instead, and will be presented with a huge chance of winning the group to qualify for the quarterfinals where they stand to face Zimbabwe.
A statement from the Council of Southern Africa Football Association (COSAFA), confirmed yesterday that Group A will now have three teams, the Comoros, Mauritius, and Eswatini following the governing body’s failure to find a suitable replacement for ‘Palancas Negras’. Interviewed on the subject, Sihlangu’s coach, Papic said they had known for a while that Angola would not be part of the COSAFA Cup. He said this would not affect his team’s preparations as they would still try their utmost best to win the competition. “We are ready to face Mauritius on Saturday, and what is important is that we give it our best effort in order to qualify,” he said.
The reason given by the Angolans for their withdrawal, according to COSAFA, is that they want to wrap up their league season and have time to prepare for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
Eswatini Football Association (EFA)’s Marketing and Communications Officer, Muzi Radebe said he had seen COSAFA’s correspondence on their website, but was not aware whether they had officially written to the EFA or not.
“We are also aware that the fixtures have been changed,” he said.
The first game of this year’s tournament will now be between Eswatini and Mauritius at the King Zwelithini Stadium on Saturday at 4:30pm.
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