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EDWIN NEW ‘INGWE’ COACH

17/06/2018 07:29:00 BY ASHMOND NZIMA

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MBABANE – Former Vovovo gaffer Edwin Matsebula has replaced Sifiso ‘Nuro’ Ntibane as new Royal Leopard coach.

‘Nuro’, who steered the police side to a treble of league titles between 2013 and 2016, will now be Technical Director (TD). The changes were announced by team President in National Commissioner of Police Isaac Magagula yesterday.
This was during a press briefing at the Police Headquarters in Mbabane.

“We wish to thank the technical team that was led by Sifiso Ntibane for an excellent service to the team,” said Magagula.
Matsebula, who guided Vovovo to the Premier League in their maiden season in the country’s football second-tier in the 2016/17 campaign, is also a police officer. He had been linked with a move to Leopard before the start of the recently-ended 2017/18 season, but he announced that he was taking a break to focus on his studies. He was not attached to any team in the past campaign.

Reached for comment on his appointment, Matsebula acknowledged that it would not be a walk in the park, but said he was up to the challenge of coaching in the Premier League for the first time.
“While coaching in the National First Division, we were able to match some of the Premier League teams. I have big shoes to fill, but I hope the experience in the field will still come in handy.
“I have to meet the entire technical bench first so that we can plan for the new season, and then we will take it from there,” he said.

Ntibane, on the other hand, had also missed the press briefing. When called for comment, he thanked the team leadership for the appointment, saying he was embracing his new role.
Some of the TD’s tasks include overseeing the academy, training ground, infrastructure, among other things. He can also have been in charge of coaching programmes and philosophy.
According to the changes, retired Leopard marksman Mfanzile ‘Fash’ Dlamini will remain assistant coach.

The changes in the technical bench were coupled with a major shake-up in the Management Committee that would no longer be led by Mxolisi ‘Master’ Dlamini. He has since been replaced by Meshack Ntshalintshali, who is one of the Assistant Commissioners at Police Headquarters. Magagula said the changes were made to give the old committees members rest.