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THE NATION FULLY BEHIND YOU

20/02/2018 00:26:00 By Lwazi's Pandora's Box

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My dearest readers ... After being mobbed by star-struck local fans here a fortnight ago, South African soccer legend and current Cape Town City budding coach, Benni McCarthy spoke glowingly to his home pen-pushers about the warm reception afforded to his team and the seriousness with which local folks take the CAF Inter-club competitions.

The European Champions League winner with Portugal’s FC Porto and Treble winner with the mighty Orlando Pirates Football Club (the team that gives this grandson of Mlonyeni more pain and joy than any woman ever could) told the South African media how impressed he was with the Swazi fans especially how much they valued CAF inter-club competition looking at the turn-out during the ‘Citizens’ slender 1-0 win over Young Buffaloes courtesy of an early Valentine’s Day gift from striker Ndoda ‘Stomach’ Mthethwa’s back pass.

Indeed, it is heart-warming that our teams, inspite of a shoe-string budget and a cash-strapped government obsessed with funding vanity projects, have always done their damndest to participate in the gruelling and costly CAF Inter-club competitions where sometimes the hunter becomes the hunted.
Young Buffaloes, with one foot out of the CAF Confederation Cup after the disastrous 0-1 loss at home, travelled by road the +/-2 000 kilometres on Saturday to the Cape of Good Hope to honour the second leg.

They face McCarthy’s green horns, who are participating in these inter-club competitions for the first time, tonight in a do or die clash at the windy Athlone Stadium. The odds are heavily stacked against Dominic Kunene’s charges after they froze like rabbits in front of the headlights of a truck in the first leg – thanks largely to adopting an ultra-defensive approach at home.

It will take guts more than anything for the army side to overturn the first leg deficit and boot the Capetonians out of the tournament. This State-of-The-Nation-Sports-Address (SONSA), with all due respect, believes chances of doing so are as remote as Yours Truly being the Next Mr. Swaziland!

Yes, there are no guarantees in this game of football. You can predict the result of tonight’s clash at your own peril but ‘Amathole Ezinyathi’ will need more than just dollops of luck but divine intervention too. One thing is certain though, the nation will be fully behind the tough-as-teak army side who have established themselves as one of the strongest sides in our fast improving Premier League.

They can do us a whole lot of favour by giving it their all. Even if they end up on the losing side they must die with their boots on like true soldiers. The nation is wholly behind them. The nation will also watch with bated breath as the ‘Invincibles of Swazi football, the Swallows of Mbabane, take on Bantu FC of Lesotho in a second leg tie at the country’s soccer Mecca at 4pm tomorrow.

Having won the first leg 4-2 away in Maseru, many expect Swallows to continue the meteoritic rise in the African football pyramid after their wonderful exploits in the CAF Confederation Cup last year where they became the first team under the new format to reach the Group stages. Yes, the country’s football aristocrats, Mbabane Highlanders did reach the quarter-finals of the then Africa Cup Winner’s Cup before losing 7-1 on aggregate to Egypt’s Zamalek (formerly known as Nationals FC) in 1986 but it was donkey years back. The price of bread was still a modest 50 cents. Swallows wing wizard Sizolwethu ‘Nunu’ Shabalala was not even an idea in his father’s mind and in-form captain, Tony ‘TT’ Tsabedze was still learning how to walk.

But there is no iota of doubt that the pressure is on Swallows to deliver tomorrow as the expectations are high. Having failed to go beyond the preliminary round of the CAF Champions League in all four attempts, Swallows need to build on the 4-2 win in Maseru by finishing off the residents of the tiny mountainous kingdom who I am told are not a bad side at all. The fact that they scored two goals in the first leg bears testimony that they cannot be taken lightly. Former Buccaneer James Madidilane is adamant his side can crack the panicky Swallows defence with their swift moves. Swallows coach, Thabo ‘Koki’ Vilakati needs no reminder of the huge expectations from the nation and his team cannot afford to rest on its laurels.

The red and white glamour side remain unbeaten this season in 28 games in all competitions and need a win tomorrow to ensure they are geared up not only for the Ingwenyama Cup final against Royal Leopard but in all likelihood the tough-as-teak Zambia’s Zanaco FC in the next round. The Zambian side is expected to roughshod over listless Gambia’s Armed Forces side in the second leg away and set up another meeting with the Swallows of Mbabane.
Now, no doubt revenge will be on the minds of the red and white glamour side but for now, the onus is to finish the business against the Lesotho outfit who are certainly not push-overs. Swazi Mobile, a friend to the people’s game, has already set the tone with free tickets to 1 000 of their subscribers and the onus is on the rest of us to fill up the Stadium to the rafters to rally behind the ‘Beautiful Birds’.
Siyonqoba Simunye! ... SONSA cannot wait to see the honey-throated Swallows fans give the longest rendition to their famous hymn, Myekeleni Aphumule!
The club’s guardian angel, dearly departed club boss, Victor ‘Maradona’ Gamedze will be there in spirit!
Myekeleni Aphumule ...