PLE IN VENUES DILEMMA
Wanderers’ match postponement bid fails; giants in rare KaLanga double-header
MBABANE – A huge challenge! This is the story of the Premier League of Eswatini (PLE), which has been battling a huge challenge in securing venues for the Week 21 round of games slated for the upcoming weekend. The MTN Premier League matches took a break in respect of the Ingwenyama Cup final, which was played at the Somhlolo National Stadium, this past Sunday.
The final, which was graced by His Majesty King Mswati III, was successfully defended by Green Mamba. Inyoka Eluhlazane narrowly edged Mbabane Swallows 1-0, courtesy of a Sabelo ‘Sikhali’ Ndzinisa first-half penalty.
A source close to the PLE revealed that the organisation was faced with the challenge of getting venues for the Week 21 games, as the second biggest football arena in the country, Mavuso Sports Centre, is currently out of bound as it is undergoing renovations of the VIP area box.
“The office of the PLE is running from pillar to post trying to get playing grounds for this week’s games as the Mavuso Sports Centre is closed, while the Somhlolo National Stadium is still not available for league games,” the source said.
The source also said the PLE had written to the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs requesting the Somhlolo National Stadium to host some of the league games.
Ministry
Meanwhile, the ministry’s Communications Officer when sought for comment on the PLE request said nothing of that nature had reached his office. “We haven’t received such a letter at this point,” Zondi briefly said.
PLE Football Manager Pat Vilakati when contacted on the challenge of playing venues said they had requested the Mavuso Sports Centre, but the response they got was that it was not available. “On the issue of Somhlolo please contact the ministry,” Vilakati said.
Notably, the venue dilemma has led to the KaLanga Technical Centre playing host to the double-header featuring giants Mbabane Highlanders and Manzini Wanderers, which is a rare occurrence.
According to the fixture released by the PLE through the office of the Football Manager, the maroon and white hub giants will welcome Nsingizini Hotspurs for a game penned to kick off at 1pm.
The second match will see Inkunzi Emnyama visiting Madlenya and the game is slated for 3pm.
Wanderers, on the other hand, had requested a postponement of their game due to the unavailability of stadiums close to their supporters, but their effort did not yield the desired result.
This was posted on the Weslians’ official Facebook page. “We tried by all means to have the match postponed or get a near stadium, but we did not succeed as we are no longer allowed to use the Prince of Wales,” reads an extract from the post.
The Manzini-Mbabane corridor will see minimum action as one game will be played in the city at the Prince of Wales Sports Ground, where Ezulwini United will face Royal Leopard in a match penned to kick off at 2:30pm.