HRFA to tighten screws on age cheating
MBABANE – The Hhohho Regional Football Association (HRFA) has sent a strong warning to teams over age cheating in junior league games.
This was revealed by HRFA Deputy Secretary Ntokozo Tsela during the presentation of the Hub Utility Stores Under-17 sponsored league, which was won by Royal Leopard at Sigwaca House yesterday.
Tsela said they were concerned about the issue of age cheating in the recently finished league as they observed that some teams were using over aged players.
“We were so disappointed in the finals to see players who were over age playing, the Chairman, Comfort Shongwe, even asked me about it. We are going to tighten the screws next season as we are strongly against such an act,” Tsela said.
He said the age cheating was no longer serving its purpose as this would be a challenge for the national junior squads when scouting for players. “As of next season we will have clause on age cheating in our rules,” he said.
The deputy secretary said they were happy as an association to see the participation of women in the development of the sport in the region, making a reference to Nkhaba Regional League, which have a female secretary Nicollet Hillary.
He also encouraged the region’s teams to take a leaf from the Lobamba League, which have Under-10s and invited clubs to consult with HRFA Development Officer Sibonangaye Dlamini for assistance.
He finally thanked Hub Utility Stores for the good partnership with HRFA and further congratulated the champions as well as all the 94 clubs who participated in the tournament.