Home | Sports | SIHLANGU SNUBBED

SIHLANGU SNUBBED

24/08/2016 01:14:00 BY CHRIS DLAMINI

Font size:

MBABANE – It’s no laughing matter but the national team Sihlangu’s AFCON 2017 dream could be going up in smoke already.

Before you bang your head against the wall, the national team camp, which began on Sunday evening, has suffered a major setback after Royal Leopard did not release their players. The police side has seven players in the squad to face Malawi next month away in the must-win tie to stand a chance of a maiden Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualification as best runners-up.

Only two can be pardoned; defender Machawe Dlamini and striker Bonginkosi ‘Manyovu’ Dlamini, as they are both nursing injuries and the former did not feature for his club over the weekend. The five who should be in camp are; Zweli ‘Mlilo’ Nxumalo, Siboniso ‘Rocco’ Malambe, Muzi ‘Mzoro’ Dlamini, Sikhumbuzo ‘Chaka’ Ntimane and Mxolisi ‘General’ Lukhele.

“They weren’t in the camp when we checked on Monday and the response we got from their club was that they were writing exams and would join the camp this morning,” said National Football Association of Swaziland (NFAS) Media and Communications Officer Muzi Radebe on Monday afternoon.

Checked again yesterday, he referred questions to the NFAS CEO Frederick Mngomezulu but the latter said he had not been made aware and would only be visiting the squad late yesterday evening after the Hhohho Super League Swazi Trac sponsorship launch in Matsapha.
Nonetheless, Leopard confirmed the unfortunate news, claiming they were in a tight corner as their players had to write some exams on Monday.
“We ought to release them on Tuesday morning (yesterday) for the camp but then by Monday evening, we then learned we were playing the Castle Premier Challenge semi-finals which left us confused on how we can help the national team now,” said the club’s PLS Governor Mcolisi Dlamini.
He said they met over the issue as a club and could not come up with a solution given the camp and the weekend fixture against forces’ rivals Young Buffaloes, now on Saturday, instead of Sunday, at Somhlolo National Stadium.