E3.5m Somalian, Italian star out of Sihlangu clash
MBABANE – Sihlangu Coach Dominic Kunene will breathe a sigh of relief as his opponents; Somalia will be minus two key players.
Reports coming from the East African country are that two Somalian key players have not joined camp ahead of today’s clash 2025 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) preliminary round first leg qualifiers against Sihlangu. The Ben Ahmed El Abdi Stadium will witness this encounter at 6pm.
The players include Abel Gigli, last contracted to Correggesse Calcio 1948 in Italy and Abdulsamed Abdullahi who is valued at E3.5 million. Abdi plies his trade with FK Decic Tuzi in Montenegro having penned a deal on January 12 this year. The duo made their national team debut in September 2019.
The duo had reportedly not joined camp as per a Somalian journalist in Morocco, when this report was compiled yesterday. Even if they do arrive chances of being part of today’s line-up are limited. This publication earlier revealed that Somalia national team Head Coach Rachid Lousteque said their primary objective was to secure a victory against Sihlangu in their match.
The Moroccan, who replaced former Sihlangu Coach Pieter de Jongh in July 2022, shared his thoughts ahead of their match against the Dominic Kunene-led team. “The upcoming match against Eswatini is anticipated to be challenging, but our team will be focusing on one primary objective; winning the game. The players come from various clubs, but share a common goal when they join the national team. Our collective focus and determination will be crucial in achieving success in this important match,” he said.
Meanwhile, former Young Buffaloes gaffer Kunene recently expressed his concerns about the team’s improvement in recent matches during a media briefing held at the Lobamba Technical Centre. “We have observed Somalia’s performance in their recent matches. They have shown significant improvement, especially against Algeria. You cannot underestimate them; they have made strides. It won’t be an easy game, but I trust our players will bring us joy at the end of the match,” Kunene said.
The preliminary round involves two-legged fixtures, with the aggregate winners advancing to the group stages. The group stages consist of six groups of four teams each, with the top two teams from each group, along with the four best third-placed teams, qualifying for the Round of 16.