TOUGH DRAW FOR ‘BULL’, ‘WESLIANS’

MBABANE – Yesterday’s Swazi Telecom Charity Cup draw produced what appeared to have sent both Mbabane Highlanders and Manzini Wanderers into the lion’s den.

The two football giants, who have endured an agonising trophy drought, have found themselves having to wrestle with the deadly duo of Royal Leopard and Mbabane Swallows in the semi-finals of the 15th edition of the tournament that was incepted in 2002.

On paper, defending champions Royal Leopard and last year’s runners up Mbabane Swallows have assembled the strongest squad in the league, and suffice to say that they were the only teams that won silverware last season from the six trophies on offer.

Swallows won four with Leopard winning two, which included the Charity Cup and the MTN League. The much anticipated draw event was held at the Swaziland Post and Telecommunications Corporation (SPTC) headquarters boardroom. And as PRO of the tournament, Dumisani ‘DU’ Sibandze pulled each of the four balls coloured white, blue and red out of the blue SPTC branded squared container, his every movement was met with unseen suspense.

Mbabane Highlanders were pulled out first out of the box and their name was nicely tucked in a white ball, and they were placed as the main team of the first game. It was more intense as Sibandze, whose face was beginning to sweat at the weight of expectation from the officials who had packed the boardroom, pulled the second ball for the second match main team. It was another white ball that had the name of Manzini Wanderers. It was thereafter that it was patent there will be no Swallows vs Leopard semi-final clash in the cup but there was still an obvious yearning for at least the capital city derby fixture as Sibandze put his hand into the container to pull a team that was to be Highlanders opponents.

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