DERBIES TO SET SEMIS ALIGHT

Sports Editor

MBABANE – “Look, I am coach, I am not Harry Porter. He is magical but in reality there is no magic. Magic is fiction and football is real.”

This quotable quote comes from the mouth of the ‘Special One’, Jose Mourinho, when he was asked what he thought of football after winning the European Champions League with Inter Milan in 2010.
As the football fanatics waited with bated breath in yesterday’s semi-final draw of the Ingwenyama Cup at the sponsor’s boardroom, Mourinho’s immortal words seemed to play themselves out in the minds of the officials representing the four teams.

Unpredictable. Tension-filled. Captivating. Magical. These are some of the words that were the buzzword but as Mourinho would say, football is real. This was captured precisely by National First Division side, Mbabane Citizens PRO, Sifiso Hlatshwako, whose side have already made history by becoming the first side from the lower division to reach this last four stage of the richest tournament in the land. The modest National First Division side is already guaranteed E230 000 loot but they have declared they want the princely E1.2 million first prize. And they are unapologetic about it.

“There was nowhere to hide, we are in this stage by merit. We didn’t reach this stage by fluke. We face a tough team in Swallows but there are rules in football. They will field the same number of players we will field as well – eleven. That is the reality,” the dreadlocked Hlatshwako said.

The cheeky Mourinho would have been impressed, especially on that aspect of football being ‘real’. Reaching the semi-final stage has not been a stroll in the park for the high flying, unbeaten National First Division log leaders who have knocked out not only Matsapha United but have also sent another giant-killer in Milling Hotspurs packing out of the tournament in the quarter-final stage.
Be warned Mbabane Swallows.

But Swallows General Manager, Sandile ‘Beyond 2000’ Zwane was not moved. While admitting it would be a tough encounter with the team run by former Mbabane Highlanders chairman, Bheki ‘Rubber’ Simelane, who would love nothing more than clipping the high flying ‘Birds’ wings, Zwane made it known that they want to win the trophy and have it for keeps.

“We also want to win it as a remembrance to our late Chairman, Victor Gamedze. We have already said we want to win it for him,” he said briefly.
I don’t know where people go to in the after-all life – I believe they become ancestors.

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