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INGWENYAMA CUP GOAL-FEST

26/11/2019 08:39:00 Lwazi Dlamini Pandora's box

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My dearest readers ...

“The tournament blends our cultural ethos and football very well, something which many commentators have described as a unique paradigm shift in the preservation of our cultural heritage. This innovation and creativity is promoting our customs and tradition in many ways, while creating public awareness and achieving the objectives of the Sincephetelo Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (SMVAF).” These immortal words were uttered by a person of no less stature than the Patron of the Ingwenyama Cup, His Majesty King Mswati III, during the prize presentation ceremony held at Mavuso on the memorable evening of May 22.

Wearing the kind of disarming smile that can melt butter, His Majesty was in his element, cracking one joke after another, sending the audience into bouts of endless laughter on an unforgettable night of pomp and glamour. “Our communities are beaming with pride at not just being afforded an opportunity to showcase their talents, but also at being recognised as key stakeholders in our nation building initiatives. We need no further proof that culture and sports can contrive to enhance national cohesion. This unique approach to preserving our national heritage and ensuring a healthy and highly competitive nation is commendable.”

The King threw another quotable quote. I think the wind outside the prestigious venue stopped to blow. His words touched down on our conscience. It was a watershed moment. As the tournament kicked off over the past weekend I could not help but take a journey down memory lane on what a unique tournament the Ingwenyama Cup is. In its fifth edition, the Ingwenyama Cup continues to scale new heights. Not only is it the richest tournament – with the champions taking home a mouth-watering E1.4 million – but here is a tournament that blends football with what is at the epicentre of the lives of emaSwati – culture, so beautifully.

On the core of football ethos, the past weekend set a new bar – a GOAL FEST. A total of 48 goals were scored in the opening Last 32 stage of the tournament, which is the highest at this stage in the tournament’s four-year chequered history. I am certain football’s first citizen, FIFA president Gianni Infantino, in his husky voice, would nod his gizzard-like head – which must have inspired the invention of bicycle chairs - nonchalantly in approval. A massive 41 goals were scored between Friday night and Saturday, with three-successive-times champions Mbabane Swallows and Malanti Chiefs recording a ‘CRAZY EIGHT’, so to speak, goal haul that seemed to set the tone for the rest of the opening round.

In the last 32 stage of the tournament, if truth be told, there were only two shocking results. National First Division side, Seven Dreams ‘dream’ 1-0 win over premier league outfit, Pigg’s Peak Black Swallows on Friday night set the tone for the magical fifth edition. It was only equalled by another first division side Illovo FC beating premier league inconsistent side Tambuti FC 7-6 in sudden death penalties on Saturday at Mayaluka Stadium. In the end, there is no doubt the big teams have ‘buckle-d up’ in this year’s edition as they cruised to the Last 16 stage with their safety belts intact and obeying the traffic...er football tactical rules as the payoff line of the richest tournament in the land suggests.

The official grand opening ceremony triple header was an anti-climax with just seven goals scored. The big teams, Young Buffaloes, Mbabane Highlanders and Manzini Wanderers, to be honest, did not put their best foot forward notwithstanding that they did not concede any goals. They did just enough to advance to the next stage. Maybe that’s all you need at times in a knockout of this nature but for entertainment value, it was a damp squib.

Obviously, with 11 premier league teams – three teams namely Milling Hotspurs, Tambuti FC and Black Swallows knocked out – and five National first division teams having qualified for the Last 16 stage, it is about to get even more exciting. The Last 16 stage will separate the boys from men. The goal-fest is full testimony that the tournament still possesses its unpredictable nature and the fans would still be treated to more goals going forward. This is what makes the Ingwenyama Cup special. We obviously want to see goals, goals and more goals ... it is the reason why the game’s favourite son, Pele, christened it, the “beautiful game”. Buckle up ... It’s game on!