Times Of Swaziland: Sihlangu coach Billen still at home

Sihlangu coach Billen still at home
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BY SPORTS REPORTER on 05/09/2013 04:47:00


MBABANE – Sihlangu Belgian head coach, Valere Billen’s critically ill mother
has delayed the coach’s return.
He was expected in the country this week. Depending on his mother’s condition
Billen will not be coming back to the country anytime soon and will delay the
start of Sihlangu’s preparations for the 2015 AFCON Qualifiers that are
expected to start in late October or early November.
National Football Association of Swaziland (NFAS) Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Frederick Mngomezulu confirmed the latest development yesterday.
“The coach indicated to the association that he will not be in a position to
return on the set date because he was still monitoring his mother’s condition
back home. We will inform the nation on his new arrival date,” he said.
Billen, no doubt the most unpopular coach to lead the national squad in recent
times was retained for another year by the NFAS and will lead the squad in the
forthcoming qualifiers.
“Our idea as an association is to ensure that we utilise each and every FIFA
week so that the squad remain active. As i said in the past, it would be crucial
for the squad to be active because the draw could be done in such a way that the
high ranking countries are seeded.
“This would automatically mean the lower ranking countries could be drawn to
play against any of the heavyweights in the continent. Sihlangu can play against
the likes of Senegal, Ivory Coast and the other giants. We cannot therefore
relax,” Mngomezulu said.
Sihlangu under Billen failed to impress and at one point played eight games
without scoring a single goal.
The Sihlangu players, however, appealed to the NFAS executive to retain him.
This was after the disastrous Cosafa Cup outing, which Sihlangu finished without
scoring a goal in three outings.
The tournament was played in Zambia.