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Tevents of the past few days at Sigwaca House involving Eswatini Football Association (EFA) and the Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) surrounding Sihlangu preparations for the 2023 AFCON Qualifiers has left one with more questions than answers.

Readers, the bone of contention between the two organisations is the release of players for international duty. We are told that the EFA has issued a directive to the PLE to suspend the ongoing MTN League fixtures to accommodate Sihlangu preparations for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Qualifiers scheduled for early next month. The PLE has refused to implement the directive citing FIFA Regulations in that same does not cloth EFA with such demands.

The misunderstanding took a turn for the worst yesterday when four league games had to be abandoned as referees never showed up. It was not only a distasteful incident but it made a mockery of our football.

The issue of player versus country is not a new phenomenon in world football. Closer to home, the South African Football Association (SAFA) and the Premier Soccer League (PSL) were at some point at each other’s throat over players’ release for national duty.

FIFA having been inundated with complaints from both clubs and the national associations came up with the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players to address the impasse.

Defiance

It is this regulations that the PLE are brandishing in its defiance, more particularly Annexure 1 on the Release of Players to Associations’ teams. On a closer look of the Regulations, it is paramount to bring it to the fore that the relevant paragraphs in this standoff are paragraphs 4, 6, 7 and 8. Below some of them are discussed. In terms of the FIFA Regulations the period in dispute is defined as the International Window. The next question therefore automatically relates to the definition of the phrase International Window.

Paragraph 4 defines as follows: “It is a period of nine days starting on a Monday morning and ending on Tuesday night the following week, which is reserved for representative teams’ activities.”

In regard to our situation, the first international match is on of June 3, 2022 (away in Togo) and the second on June 7, 2022 (home match against Burkina Faso). Computing the two dates the FIFA International Window period, therefore commences on the May 30, 2022 (next Monday) and ends on June 7, 2022 immediately after the match. The players on June 8 must be released to their respective clubs.

As per the EFA media statement, the players are already in camp. Paragraph 6 of the Regulations addresses the issue of players release outside the International window by stating the following:

“It is not compulsory to release players outside an international window or outside the final competition [as per paragraph 2 above] included in the international match calendar…”

This paragraph forbids national associations (EFA in this case) to force clubs to release players outside the FIFA International Window. Where the national associations desire that the players be released earlier for the international window, paragraph 8 comes into play. The paragraph states as follows: “The clubs and association concerned may agree a longer period of release or a different arrangements with regard to paragraph 7 above.”

Take note that this paragraph envisages some form of negotiations between the club(s) and the association for the release of the player(s) in the event the association requires a longer period. If the negotiations fail, the association (EFA) cannot then force compliance from the club.

Some within Sigwaca House might argue that the club(s) upon registration or affiliation signed a declaration form declaring that they (it) will always comply with the statutes, regulation, decisions and directives of EFA, COSAFA, CAF and FIFA. While that might be true that clubs must abide by EFA’s directives, such directives must be lawful for them to be complied with. In the face of the present directive, the PLE is within its right to disregard or disobey, because it is an unlawful directive. The FIFA Regulations are on the PLE side.

EFA must genuinely engage the PLE on this matter for an equitable resolution and stop bullying them under the pretext that they are the mother body. There is a lot at stake here!