Ernest eager to know finals date
MBABANE - As the season gets into a critical stage, Green Mamba’s Head Coach,
Mavuso, said knowing the Ingwenyama Cup final date earlier could help in setting their priorities.
The Correctional Service’s side are chasing a double, defending the MTN Premier League and Sincephetelo Motor Vehicle Accidents Funds (SMVAF) sponsored Ingwenyama Cup titles.
Both are within their reach, as they are perched second in the league standings, in a tripartite tie with Mbabane Swallows and Royal Leopard at 34 points and one point shy of log leaders Young Buffaloes. On the other hand, they are in the finals of the sixth edition of Ingwenyama Cup, where they will face Mbabane City giants Swallows.
Speaking during a post-match interview on Sunday, after a 3-2 victory against Buffaloes, Mavuso said it would benefit them if the knockout tournament dates were announced early. “It could be of great help to know the Ingwenyama Cup finals dates, I wish I could know them early. But what I’m certain of is that we’re heading towards a FIFA break, which will give us two weeks to recover, as we will be doing a lot of regeneration and a bit of practice matches of course, to keep them sharp,” Mavuso said when asked how he would balance-up things.
“We accord both competitions equal importance, because we are trying to win them. However, priority will go to whichever will have a game earlier. Focus would however tilt towards the finals if only the league would give way to it to wrap up,” he further said.
As both the soccer and culture competitions have reached the finals stages, the Ingwenyama Cup Management Committee (MC) is expected to submit the names of the finalists to the tournament patron, His Majesty King Mswati III. During this engagement, it is expected that the MC would be then given a date for the finals.
Meanwhile, PLE Football Manager said yesterday morning that they are crossing their fingers to see if the league could be played during the Easter weekend. Vilakati confirmed the two weeks break following Sihlangu’s full camp ahead of the FIFA break TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) back to back preliminary stages qualifiers against Somalia. The clashes are scheduled for March 20 in Morroco and March 26 in South
Africa.