IS IT STILL ‘THE BEAUTIFUL GAME’?

Sir,

Following the recent incidents in our football, I just can’t watch the most followed sport without shedding a drop of ink at the very least .

They call soccer ‘the beautiful game’ but in Swaziland I am not sure if that adjective could fit well. I get goose bumps everytime I think of the thrown knives I’ve been seeing in our daily publications. I ask myself if it’s a good idea to go the stadiums and mingle with such people. The sad part is that a perpetrator was fined a measly E100.

The second incident is that of Manzini Wanderers players intimidating a referee.
 I should clearly state that I am not a Wanderers fan and I don’t condone that behaviour. However, I feel ashamed of our referees who are taking this sport decades back with their own unprofessional behaviour.

Some of these referees live in our neighbourhoods and we know their favourite teams.
 One would agree with me that if it were Swallows or Highlanders players, they would have not appeared in the referee’s report.
We have seen it many times. I think it’s high time the PLS takes referees to task.

Referees are over protected by the law, which I find to be unfair. They must account.
In order for Swaziland to improve the sport, in line with the country’s objective of becoming a First World country, professionalism must prevail.
First World is not only about geographic development as most of us believe; we must improve even how we do things.

The football fraternity in this country is still governed by the people who were governing it some 15 years ago.
We need new ideas moving forward.

Mncedisi Dlamini, Mbikwakhe

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