'Magawugawu' escapes fine
MBABANE – The player was remorseful.
The above statement was made by Moneni Pirates Public Relations Officer (PRO) Mbuso Hlophe after quizzed about what the team would do to their loyal servant in defender Menzi ‘Magawugawu’ Simelane after he attacked referee Wandile Mamba this past Thursday’s MTN Premier League match against Mbabane Swallows.
The game was played at the Prince of Wales Sports Ground behind closed doors.
The former Mbabane Swallows player, in the heat of the moment, did the unthinkable when he manhandled the whistle man after he showed him a red card about 20 minutes before regulation time.
Uttered
This was after Simelane confronted and uttered unprintable words towards Mamba and the latter responded by giving the former a red card.
Such misconduct by the experienced defender is frowned upon by the Premier League of Eswatini (PLE), and should the team be hauled before the Eswatini Football Association (EFA) Disciplinary Committee (DC) they could face hefty fines.
“The CEO of the club spoke with the player and he was remorseful of his actions on Thursday and we can’t therefore put his head on the block as such things happen in the heat of the moment,” Hlophe said.
Behaviour
He was, however, quick to highlight that such behaviour, especially from a player of Simelane’s calibre, was not only frowned upon by the ‘Sea Robbers’ of Moneni but by all local football stakeholders.
He also revealed that even Coach Ikabort Masocha had a chat with Magawugawu after the match, as this would affect them in the league.