PLE AGM: NFD’s E20k participation fee for change
As they go to this meeting, there are pertinent issues to be resolved quickly or there may be fewer teams qualifying to play due to CAF Club Licensing challenges. A majority of the clubs in both clubs, particularly the top flight clubs did not meet the July 31, 2022, deadline to submit all required documentation like audited financial statements and ownership proof among other money-requiring standards. Below, some of the issues that may turn out topical are highlighted below;
MTN Eswatini new sponsorship for 2022/23 season:
This one certainly is the main interest for clubs as they look forward to improved prizes.
However, that is not the real issue but given the wind blowing in the football corridors, the participation fee, particularly in the National First Division League could come in to discussion.
Each team received E20 000 last season but in actual fact, they only get E6 000 as the rest of it is reserved for match officials’ pay.
Elite teams got E100 000 but it was also down to E70 000 after the match officials’ fee deduction. It is understood the first division’s teams may want it increased.
It is football getting more expensive for teams and clearly, not every member of the PLE can afford to meet the Confederation of African Football (CAF) licensing requirements which now call for everything to be done digitally meaning teams must have laptops as of yesterday as even team lists will no longer come in hard copy but digitalised.
This will kill off the issue of teams having to forfeit points because they forgot players’ cards.
CAF Club Licensing:
The burning one was missing the CAF deadline to submit the required documents by July 31, this year.
Only Mbabane Highlanders and Royal Leopard are certain as they got their licences earlier than any other team as CAF interclub competitions’ envoys for Eswatini.
Why is this one crucial? It impacts on the number of teams each of the two top leagues will have based on who got the CAF licence to register. Currently, no team registers a player for next season without fulfilling the CAF licence requirements and obtaining it.
The EFA finalised this one with one response after PLE teams had wanted the relegation of four teams in the elite league cut to two. They have argued the EFA gave them a set of rules that provided two would go down at the end of the season before another set on match day two last season,. The latest set of rules provided the bottom four teams get relegated after the last matches of the season. This may also still be of interest to some of the affected clubs otherwise a matter the PLE accepted.
Teams have struggled financially in the last three seasons due to COVID-19 which saw them play without income as fans were banned for two seasons. It is only last season that limited fans were allowed in but the COVID-19 vaccination requirement still only gave access to games to fewer supporters. The only tournament has been the MTN League so teams want the knockouts back. They want to know who takes over vacant Charity Cup spot, when the Ingwenyama Cup will start and if the EswatiniBank Cup is returning.