Times Of Swaziland: LEOPARD, ‘BUFFS’ FETCH EDWIN,  MNISI FROM U-17 CAMP

LEOPARD, ‘BUFFS’ FETCH EDWIN,  MNISI FROM U-17 CAMP
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BY CHRIS DLAMINI on 11/11/2021 08:35:00


MBABANE – Both Edwin Matsebula and Sabelo Mnisi are head coaches for reigning
MTN Premier League champions Royal Leopard and runners-up last season, Young
Buffaloes.
On top of that, Matsebula is the country’s National Under-17 boys squad coach,
which is currently in camp while Mnisi is his assistant. Both experts had to
abandon the squad’s full-time camp for their teams who were engaged in the
league opening matches; Leopard hosting Mbabane Swallows at Mavuso Sports Centre
while Buffaloes were home to Mbabane Highlanders in Nhlangano at the King
Sobhuza II Memorial Stadium. Swallows lost 0-1, while Highlanders won 2-1. The
coaches left camp after their clubs required their presence last Thursday ahead
of the tough battles. Impeccable sources said the way the coaches left the
Eswatini Football Association (EFA) Technical Centre in Lobamba left a bitter
taste in the mouth.
Contracts
Worth noting is that the EFA does not give full-time contracts to national
junior squads coaches at the moment, but only the senior team, Sihlangu
Semnikati, which is under coach Dominic Kunene. “After they had left the
squad, they were left with the members of the technical bench and mind you, this
is full-time camp ahead of games that start in a couple of weeks or so,” said
a source.
Matsebula is expected to lead the junior squad alongside Mnisi in this year’s
COSAFA Under-17 Youth Championships to be also played as part of the Region Five
Youth Games 2020 in Lesotho as of November 30. They open the tournament with a
midday fixture against Zimbabwe at the Setsoto Stadium. Other rivals in
Eswatini’s Group A are Lesotho and Madagascar, but only the top team after the
round robin games goes through to the semi-finals. The tournament runs from
November 30 to December 9 – just how long the two head coaches of two clubs
with their eyes on the league title can be away.
For Matsebula and Leopard, it gets worse as the police team also has the
TOTALEnergies CAF Confederation Cup two-legged play-off against Algeria’s JS
Kabyile. The first leg is scheduled for November 28 at Mavuso Sports Centre in
Manzini when the national junior team plays two days later in Lesotho. The CAF
second leg will be played away in Algeria on December 5, same day Eswatini play
the last group match in the COSAFA/Region 5 Youth Games.
“It’s above my scope but when we discovered the clash of dates last week ,we
realised that we’d have to meet the EFA. We also had a league game so clearly
we’ll meet the EFA and forge a way forward as we are confident it’ll be
resolved. The EFA has helped us in a lot of situations so this will be discussed
and sorted out,” Ingwe Mabalabala’s (Leopard) PRO Hurube diplomatically
responded. He said their CAF dates clashed head-on with the national squad’s
dates but Matsebula was not even their only coach with the squad. “We also
have Mphikeleli in the squad so it is possible that the EFA gives us Edwin and
remain with Mphikeleli, we won’t ask for both coaches,” he said.
The Leopard coach had a rough weekend last Saturday as he was involved in
on-field violence before police whisked him out of the stadium in their van as
Swallows supporters bayed for his blood. He had already been implicated by the
referee’s report alongside team doctor, Gcina Hleta. Buffaloes’ CEO Sandile
Gwebu, whose side may also have to play their domestic games without Mnisi
during that period unless the PLE opts for a break, was not immediately
available for comment. EFA Communications and Marketing Officer Muzi Radebe’s
response to the national squad being left without both coaches and the clash in
dates between the COSAFA/Region 5 Games and Leopard’s CAF games was that the
EFA had a contingency plan.
“What is important is that the team trained. The coaches are part time in the
squads and their teams had league games but it doesn’t mean the squad didn’t
continue with its programme as they work on one by the coaches. A national team
has many coaches so the boys were not alone as they trained and they will go to
the competition even if Matsebula stays behind. The EFA always has a contingency
plan in place,” he responded.
Meanwhile, there had been precedent cases before whereby top clubs would be
accused of invading the senior national team Sihlangu Semnikati camp for their
players ahead of games. Serbian coach, Kostadin Papic was left bemused more than
once as some security forces teams would send officials to force players out of
Sihlangu camp during his tenure in 2019. The security forces dominated the
senior squad with Buffaloes and Leopard the core of the entire team.