Times Of Swaziland: ALLIANCE WILL JEOPARDIZE  MATCHES - FIFA

ALLIANCE WILL JEOPARDIZE  MATCHES - FIFA
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Ntokozo Magongo on 10/08/2020 08:52:00


MBABANE – The odds are against the alliance between Manzini Wanderers and
Mbabane Highlanders as football governing body, FIFA, is against any partnership
between fierce rivals.
According to the Federation International Football Association (FIFA) statutes,
June 2019 edition, Article 20.2, every member association shall ensure that its
affiliated clubs can take all decisions on any matters regarding membership
independently of any external body. The article continues that this obligation
applies regardless of an affiliated club’s corporate structure.
“In any case, the member association shall ensure that neither a natural nor a
legal person (including holding companies and subsidiaries) exercises control in
any manner whatsoever (in particular through a majority shareholding, a majority
of voting rights, a majority of seats on the board of directors or any other
form of economic dependence or control, etc.) over more than one club whenever
the integrity of any match or competition could be jeopardised,” concludes the
article. The same article is also contained in the Confederation of African
Football (CAF) statutes article 12.3.
Mbabane Highlanders South African Director Ally Kgomongwe came under fire when
he publicly declared that he will be assisting rivals, Manzini Wanderers, in
securing a director, pay players’ salaries with the hope of getting the money
back from the director who will take over. He also said he would organise a
joint camp for the two teams in South Africa, among other things.
Announced
The partnership between the two sides that was announced last Tuesday at Happy
Valley Resort is allegedly in violation of the Premier League of Eswatini (PLE)
Constitution. The PLE constitution is clear in Article 21. 10, 1, 2, 3 and 4,
that no director, official or player of a club may either directly or
indirectly, hold or deal in the shares of another club, be a member of another
club, be involved in any capacity in the management, administration or coaching
of another club and act as agent.