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SIHLANGU COACHES’ CONTRACTS EXPIRE

30/09/2016 09:49:00 BY BHEKISISA MAGONGO

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MBABANE – Despite taking Sihlangu to the top 100 in FIFA rankings, coach Harries Madze Bulunga and his assistants have still not have their contracts renewed by the FA.

The senior national team technical bench’s contract expired yesterday, and the National Football Association of Swaziland (NFAS) executive committee has still not decided on whether to extend their stay or not. As it is today, Sihlangu has no coach.
Acting FA CEO Sinamandla Mavuso confirmed that the coaches’ contracts have expired and that a decision was still to be made regarding their future with the team.

“The executive committee will meet sometimes next week to look into the issue, but the truth is that the contracts not only for the head coach but the entire coaching panel have expired. However, I can’t say that the team has no coach now, because if there can be a match now, it is the executive who would have to make a decision on who leads the team and on what basis,” he said. Bulunga said he was not the right person to respond on the matter, but his employers; the National Football Association of Swaziland.

“Let them be the one to tell you what the latest on the issu is. I can’t be the one commenting on my contract,” he said.
Bulunga joined the team in April 2013 as fulltime assistant to former Belgian coach Valere Billen. He subsequently took over in November 2013 as the interim coach, until he was given the nod on fulltime basis in August 2014.
At the time, the team was ranked 179 in the world, and within the two years, he moved it to the top 100. His exploits with Sihlangu saw the country winning in COSAFA Senior Challenge bronze medal in Namibia in June, and the team was close to making the trip to Gabon for the AFCON finals, after a memorable qualifiers.

Meanwhile, last week parliamentarians urged Minister of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs David Cruiser Ngcamphalala to consider awarding the coach for the team’s good performance with an extended deal. In his response the minister said the FA executive was still going to review the contract after looking into the performance.