5 games washed away

MBABANE – The PLE has a fixture backlog to deal with due to the torrential rains currently engulfing the country. PLE denotes Premier League of Eswatini. At least five matches, both in elite and National First Division leagues were called off due to the rains, as pitches were deemed unfit for the games. It was all at the eleventh hour, as the rains continue. In the MTN NFD League, three fixtures had to be cancelled while the MTN Premier League saw two washed off.

This follows that most of the venues that the affected games were supposed to play on Friday and yesterday were waterlogged. The cancelled elite fixtures are that of Tambankulu Callies against Green Mamba and that involving Tambuti and Madlenya, which was set for Tambankulu Stadium and Mayaluka Stadium, respectively. These were scheduled for but the PLE announced in the morning they were off. Green Mamba was the leaders in the standings but has since been dislodged by Young Buffaloes who win yesterday.

For NFD, there was no action yesterday as double-headers that had been set for Killarney Stadium in Pigg’s Peak were deferred. Malanti Chiefs was to welcome Shooting Stars in the first match while Kappa Kappa was to face off with Illovo in the last match. On Friday, a game between Pigg’s Peak Black Swallows and Rangers was also postponed on its very day due to same. This, besides causing a fixture backlog for the PLE that also struggles for venues, has disrupted the heated E50 000 NFD first round race as some games had to play simultaneously.

Ezulwini United and Rangers fixtures had to play same time as they are competing but the former went ahead and beat All Nation 1-0 on Friday at King Sobhuza II Memorial Stadium and squared up in points with Rangers at the summit. The latter did not play their match.

However, PLE stated that the games were cancelled due to rains which had made the pitches unplayable. Meanwhile, it was not only PLE activities that were affected by the rains. Eswatini Women Football League (EWFL) and Build it Nhlangano U13s also postponed fixtures due yesterday.