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MBABANE – The cancellation of the MTN Premier League relegation battle between Denver Sundowns and Rangers would come with psychological implications for the players.

This was revealed by both coaches of the teams after the game which was scheduled for Mavuso Sports Centre did not take place, as there were no referees.

The Shiselweni-based side’s mentor, Mthunzi Ginindza said they got a correspondence from the Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) giving them a green light to honour the game. “We got a memo from the PLE in the morning that we should attend the game, as the only games that were cancelled involved the top four,” Ginindza said.

He said what happened was disturbing mentally for the players. “We have a lot of work as coaches to work on the players psychologically after this because they will not believe any fixture from the PLE until the national team is done with its assignment,” he said.

The former Manzini Wanderers

assistant coach said it was painful to travel all the way from Nhlangano to Manzini for nothing. “We hope that the PLE will give us a clear direction on this issue, as it is very costly to prepare for games,” he said.

Disappointed

His counterpart at Denver Sundowns, Coach Ikabort Masocha said they came well prepared for the game but were disappointed to learn that there were no referees to officiate in the match. “We were looking forward to this game. As you know our position on the log, we thought today we were going to change the fortunes to our favour,” Masocha said.

He said he was clueless on why they did not play as nothing official was communicated to them by the relevant bodies. “This thing will have a psychological strain on the players, but as coaches we have to come with a plan on how to overcome it,” Masocha said.

He also said they needed to forget about what happened and start preparing for the next game, which he said he did not know when it would be played, but he said he needed to work on the players’ mindset.