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one step forward and steps back were a team, it would be Man]ini :anderers. After appearing like they are fi nally shaking the monkey off their backs with three straight wins, they were enduring a nightmarish campaign again.

The heavy defeat to fellow strugglers Tambuti this past week end was the last straw. ,t left ques tion marks about their seriousness to preserve their 3remier /eague status.

There is no µformula¶ for being relegated, but the shortcut is having fewer points than the number of games played.

:ith only points in the games they have played so far, :an derers are surely skating on thin ice.

For a team fighting for surviv al, losing to fellow strugglers is suicidal for several reasons. :ith head to head being used here in Eswatini, the rival is already at an advantage even if the two teams are to finish level on points.

Temptation

As one of the self proclaimed µBig Three¶ sides, the temptation to ]oom in on :anderers¶ strugglers will always be there. :ith the second round in full swing, every point be comes valuable for all teams in the quest for survival and supremacy.

For :anderers, hoping for a change of fortunes, while the ele phant in the room is not confronted, is like expecting a one legged man to win a kicking contest. :ander ers¶ financial struggles are well documented and it is clear that they are affecting the results on the field.

They have assembled one of the most formidable sides in the league but results are not forthcoming. :ithout beating around the bush, the coaches are leading a bunch of unhappy players.

,t is no surprise that :anderers are failing to attract a top coach and they have stuck to the same gaffer (Terisayi Changara) who has a nightmarish record so far.

Are :anderers to blame for their financial struggles? The answer is a big no. Efforts to solve the prob lem through the issuance of shares have not gone unnoticed but that

cannot be a short term solution. That is plan A. More doors should be opened. There was a glimmer of hope when South Africa¶s Tha bo Maja was announced to be an upcoming major shareholder, who would pump a substantial amount to the team.

Secret

This transaction has taken forever to materialise. :hile waiting to finalise the Maja deal, surely there should be a plan B. ,t is no secret that there are staunch µ:eslians¶, who have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to keep the fire burning. But this cannot be a sus tainable source of income.

:ith the games to go before the end of the season (assuming that there is no knockout), a robust fundraising strategy is needed to run the team for the remainder of

the season before coming up with a lasting solution before the start of next season. ,t is no secret that numbers have decreased in stadia, but the starting point for :anderers is to enlist the help of their man.

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For instance, in their home games, they can ask their fans to bring minimum E to donate to the team. The Management Committee can also come up with quick fundrais ing inititiatives, even if it calls for selling their replicas at stadiums.

Based on reactions on social me dia, their new soccer jersey seems to be popular with the fans.

The economy is bad, but is should be no excuse for failing to sustain the team for the remainder of the season.

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