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(Continued from Back Page) “We’d been seeing this referees’ absence on social media, but didn’t think it would happen. It’s killing the game and not good for sponsors at all,” Masuku said while also noting that the fixtures should not have continued altogether after the cancellation of the top four fixtures.
This follows that the rules call for same time kick-off at this stage, particularly because all the clubs were either in relegation battle or the in the title race. Milling Hot Spurs for example are still in the relegation quagmire, but their rivals were Young Buffaloes who are in the top four. Swallows have two players in the national team, while leaders Royal Leopard and fourth-placed Buffaloes have seven apiece, with Mbabane Highlanders having four. Leopard was to play Manzini Wanderers; Highlanders were due to face off with Green Mamba; Swallows had a date with Manzini Sea Birds; and Buffaloes would have played Milling Hot Spurs had the matches gone ahead without any players deprived the chance to play for the clubs, as it was not yet a FIFA international calendar week until May 30.
Masuku added that keeping players longer than the stipulated period, as they had known that the league would finish in May, would come with financial implications for them. One team official from another club said the issue of players’ contracts that ran up to end of the season which around May 31 or June 5 at the latest would be rendered out after June 7. This is the date Sihlangu play Burkina Faso in a home match, the second in the group stage qualifier for the TOTALEnergies African Nations Cup (AFCON) 2023 Finals in Ivory Coast. The EFA made it clear through a press release last Friday, and they had been insisting on it to date that players would only leave camp after the June 7 match. “There’s a new proposal with the EFA from the PLE that these matches, as scheduled yesterday, get re-scheduled to Thursday as the rules allow the office to do so within 24 hours from the time of cancellation of the initial fixture. Then the proposal goes on to request that we finish the league on Sunday,” a source said.
Apart from the Tinyosi and Pirates match which ended with warm-up sessions, Tambankulu Callies and Malanti Chiefs suffered the same fate at Tambankulu
Stadium; Denver Sundowns and Rangers at the Mavuso Sports Centre; Tambuti and Vovovo at Mayaluka Stadium were all cancelled for the same reason, a first of its kind in the history of the MTN Premier League’s over 20-year-old partnership with PLE. The organisation’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kenneth Makhanya said they might have ideas to let football play, but it was hard under the current as they had no assurance that referees would be available.
Efforts to draw comment from the EFA CEO, Frederick Mngomezulu failed, as his cellphone was unreachable when sought. The local football mother body’s Communications and Marketing Officer, Muzi Radebe said the EFA Secretariat would not know even the referees, as they were the duty of the referees committee which, like other committees, advised the organisation, but there was no interference in their work. “The Secretariat wouldn’t interfere with the work of the referees. The referees committee can be better placed to answer on this one as they know which referee goes to which game,” Radebe explained.
However, RC Chairman Sipho Kunene was shocked to learn that he could give a comment. “I want you to put in bold that I said there’s no way I can respond to this issue in the media. We have the CEO and Communications Officer as an association to do that. No way. I can’t say anything,” he flatly refused despite being told that Radebe had said this was their matter. Meanwhile, fans who purchased tickets for the abandoned fixtures can keep them for the rescheduled games.