National teams, website launch

GOOD day dear reader. Praise be to God for the gift of life.

In line with the Sincephetelo Motor Vehicle Accidents Fund (SMVAF) Ingwenyama Cup, which involves culture, last week the nation showcased the beauty of the Eswatini culture at the Buhleni Royal Residence during the Buganu Ceremony.

It was not only about culture; but the economy of the country did benefit as this event also provided some business opportunities, more especially for Buhleni and surroundings. We are now looking forward to the next similar event to be held at Hlane Royal Residence. Another recent key highlight in the country was the official release of the Form V results as the youth is the future of this beautiful Kingdom of Eswatini. The football family congratulates all those who did well. We are aware that some of the candidates the who wrote last year’s exams were also involved in football in one way or the other, as education and sports perfectly complement each other in developing a child. To those who did not make it, it is not the end of the world as there is always a next chance in life. Do not give up; pick yourselves up and give it a try once more.

TOTALENERGIES AFCON PRELIMINARY QUALIFIERS

The preliminary round draw of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025 Finals was realised and Eswatini will play against Somalia. It is a repeat of the previous draw of the same stage of this prestigious competition. Eswatini eliminated Somalia by an aggregate score of 5-1. Some Somalians have tagged this fixture as a ‘payback time match’, which is an indication of their commitment to advancing to the group stages. Even though Eswatini eliminated Somalia in the previous edition of this competition; it is not a guarantee that history can repeat itself. Sihlangu must work hard as there is no easy match in as far as national teams football is concerned. This fixture will be implemented during the FIFA International Window that will commence from March 18 to 26, 2024. Preparations for this fixture have commenced at an administrative level as the national team is expected to start training and due to the non-availability of a FIFA/CAF approved stadium in the country for the fixture of this magnitude, the EFA is working on the logistics of getting the match-day venue outside the country.

UNDER-20 NATIONAL TEAM

Next weekend (Saturday 2 and Sunday 3, March 2024) the Eswatini Football Association (EFA) will execute the trials for the U-20 boys’ national team. This presents a lifetime opportunity for boys born between December 2005 and 2007 to represent the country and play international football at a young age.

The successful participants will be selected to be part of the pool of players who will stand a chance of being part of the U-20 national team that will compete in the Council of Southern Africa Football Association (COSAFA) U-20 Youth Championship. Those who are interested must come with their national identity card/ birth certificate or passport.

WEBSITE LAUNCH

As part of rebranding, the EFA has relaunched the website (http://nfas.org. sz). The elements of this website are accessibility, efficiency, easy to update, analytics, social media integration, communication platform, and appealing. In a nutshell, the new website has an improved look, news section structure, improved colour coordination, and has a video section. This new home for the EFA also accommodates the organisation’s membership.

Till next week, football for all and safe life for all.

#Stop gender-based violence and child abuse.