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PALMA SIGNS 3-YR DEAL WITH WANDERERS

09/08/2019 00:09:00 BY CHRIS DLAMINI

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MBABANE – Gifted defender Mandla Palma has reportedly signed a three-year contract with Manzini Wanderers.

On top of that, he has run to the Eswatini Football Association (EFA) Players’ Status Committee over a contract dispute with his former employers of more than 10 years, Mbabane Swallows. He is seeking his clearance as a free agent as he claims he has no contract with Swallows. On the contrary, Swallows claim he has two years left and had last week even given him a 24-hour ultimatum to return to training. This was last week Monday.

The disagreements began when media reports emerged that the former national team Sihlangu defender was training with the red and white capital city giants’ bitter rivals Manzini Wanderers ahead of the 2019/20 season.

He is looking to face his former team on Sunday in the Eswatini Telecom Charity Cup after the reported three-year deal with the hub giants, but that is also hugely dependant on the outcome of the EFA Player’s Status Committee. The Committee sits this afternoon to hear the matter after Swallows requested a postponement yesterday at Sigwaca House, which was granted but only until today, as it is a matter of urgency.

integrity

“For now, I can’t say anything about the case in respect of the integrity of the Status Committee which has already begun hearing the matter and we can only wait for its conclusion. It was postponed yesterday on the request of Swallows but up to tomorrow (today),” confirmed the club’s Legal Representative and Resource Manager Vusi Thomo soon after the postponement.

He confirmed the issue was whether or not Palma had a running contract with Swallows. The latter claimed he had two years left with them while he dismissed that talk and even publicly challenged the club to show him the contract. Amid the media spat between him and Swallows, he declared he was never going back to the club and knew what he wanted.