‘BIRDS’ CHEWED LIKE SIMBA CHIPS!

Sports Editor
(At Mavuso Sports Centre)

MANZINI – Legend has it that when the British divided the Zulu Kingdom after victory in the ‘Battle of Isandlwana’, in January 1889, the Zulus lost their pride forever.

You could feel the sense of a lost pride, dejection, shocker and ignominy as Mbabane Swallows suffered a humiliating 4-0 second leg CAF Champions League defeat which culminated in a mind-numbing 8-1 aggregate loss to a swashbuckling Tanzania’s Simba Sports Club here yesterday.

Catastrophic, shattering, shameful and calamitous – all those adjectives don’t tell half the incredible story of the fall from grace of the country’s most successful side in the last three seasons.

Having gone down 4-1 away at the National Stadium last week to the self-same Simba Sports Club in a defeat that was largely blamed on individual mistakes, in particular first choice goalkeeper Sandanezwe Mathabela howlers, the ‘Birds’ were disoriented, lacked fitness and were overwhelmed by the Patrick Aussems coached side far more than the score-line suggests.

For a team that reached the Group stages of both the CAF Confederation Cup in 2017 and the CAF Champions League in 2017, bombing out in the preliminary round stage this time was tragic to put it mildly.

The aggregate score-line defeat can only be rivalled by Mbabane Highlanders 9-1 aggregate defeat to Zambia’s Nkana Red Devils in 1992 (the ‘Black Bull’ lost 2-0 at home and then suffered a humiliating 7-1 defeat away in Lusaka). Previously, the other embarrassing defeat had been suffered by the same ‘Inkunzemnyama’ in 1986, two weeks after His Majesty King Mswati III’s Coronation when the Jani Simulambo coached side lost 8-1 on aggregate after losing 5-1 at home with Nichodemus ‘Ace’ Mashwama the lone scorer before going down 3-0 away in Cairo to Egypt’s Zamalek (formerly known as FC Nationals).

Here are the FIVE THINGS we learnt from yesterday’s CAF Champions League preliminary round clash.

SIMBA SPORTS CLUB MILES APART

Such was the gulf in class between the two sides that while Swallows had only two internationals in their starting line-up – themselves benchwarmers at Sihlangu – the visitors had six internationals including undoubted man of the match in Zambia’s Clatous Chota Chama who not only scored two goals but ran rings around Swallows’ disjointed midfield the whole afternoon with consummate ease. The Tanzanians were strong in every department; it was unbelievable that our so-called best team in the country played second fiddle the whole 90 minutes of play.

SWALLOWS NEED TO INVADE THE MARKET

After losing four key players who were a foundation of the team’s unmatched success in the past three seasons, Swallows failure to replace the quality of Banele ‘Pupu’ Sikhondze, Sandile ‘Nkomishi’ Ginindza, Felix Badenhorst, Sanele Mkhweli, injured Sabelo ‘Sikhali’ Ndzinisa and lately Aladeon Kola, has left their squad not only thin but lacking quality.

The galaxy of stars has been replaced by the kind of pedestrian performers cut out for a job on the circus circuit! Swallows moving forward, need to add four quality players including a quality goalkeeper and a top striker worth the tag.
Swallows cannot continue to take a knife to a gun fight – even in the domestic league.

COACHES NEED TO LOOK THEMSELVES IN THE MIRROR

It is not just that Mavuso Sports Centre has suddenly turned out to be an ‘arena of nightmares’ for local football for both club and country but the coaching part of the game needs serious looking into. The lack of proper technicians to give our football a blue-print that will bring desired results needs seriously introspection and overhaul. We cannot continue to trudge in a forest yet we can’t see the trees.

Handing out coaching certificates to the myriad of teachers posing as coaches who are not even wanted by our own teams and also hell-bent in coaching in the premier league instead of getting their hands dirty at development level will take us nowhere – and fast. Please remind me, who is the country’s Technical Director? What has he done in the last ten years? Who is assessing his work and what has he done about it?

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