Times Of Swaziland: BADARA, RAY DECRY SLIPPERY SOCCER PITCH

BADARA, RAY DECRY SLIPPERY SOCCER PITCH
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BY CHRIS DLAMINI on 09/11/2018 01:25:00


LOBAMBA – It was not only slippery but soaked by heavy downpours before the
start of the MTN League clash between Malanti Chiefs and Tambuti on Tuesday
night.
The Somhlolo National Stadium played host to an otherwise enthralling match that
kept the handful of fans who braved the chilly and wet weather, on the edge of
their seats.  This match ended 1-all, like the one after them between Mbabane
Swallows and Manzini Sea Birds.
Both Malanti and Tambuti coaches Raymond Dlamini and Alou Badara respectively,
felt the result would have been different if the pitch had allowed for smooth
flowing football.
“I wasn’t happy with our first half but the pitch condition also made it
very difficult for us to play our game.
“It was in the second half that we pushed Malanti and got a very good point in
the end,” Tambuti’s Badara said.
Mistake
He also said the goal they conceded was a goalkeeping mistake but he was still
grooming the player as he was still young at 22 years old.
“He’s still to grow and get all the experience. He can’t be persecuted for
that mistake,” he said.
His counterpart reiterated his words about the soaked pitch’s condition,
especially in the first half where it was almost all waterlogged, making the
ball’s movement nearly impossible it would time and again get stuck in the
water instead of reaching its intended destination.
It got better towards the second match of the night, even though some parts
still had soaked patches.
“We did everything tonight (Tuesday) but it would not work under the pitch
conditions we played in. We could have done a lot better and would have loved to
win the match,” he said.
Nonetheless, he accepted the point and said they would now look ahead to the
weekend.