I’M READY WITH MATCH-FIXING EVIDENCE - ‘TOUCH’

MBABANE – Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) Chairman Peter ‘Touch’ Magagula has come out with guns blazing on Eswatini Referees Association (ERA) thinly-veiled attack on his earlier statement to Premier League teams.

The Eswatini Referees Association (ERA) has reported the PLE chairman to the Eswatini Football Association (EFA), demanding an explanation on his bribery allegations statement he made in December 2019. Reacting to the reports, Magagula said the statement he made on the bribery allegations was directed to the PLE affiliates, not to an affiliate of the EFA. “I was basically warning my members that they should desist approaching match officials to try and induce favours. It was no directed to the referees per se but if there is a need for me to give evidence to the EFA, if I am called to do so, I will do that. I wasn’t just making a statement out of nowhere, I have evidence I can give on this issue,” Magagula said.

He said he was taken by surprise by the Eswatini Referees Association (ERA) reported letter written to the EFA complaining about his statement. “What is it that makes them think the statement made last year is directed to them? I was warning PLE affiliates, not them. But I am willing to furnish the EFA with evidence if I am called upon to do so,” Magagula added.
He stressed that the issue had been discussed and concluded in the EFA Executive Committee. “Even the CEO Mngomezulu released a statement saying the PLE chairman was addressing his membership. I wonder why it is an issue now,” he said.

ERA Chairman Sipho Kunene said all they were requesting was an audience with the PLE chairman through the EFA to assist in the bribery allegations. “It’s an old story really, we wrote to the EFA asking for them to help us meet the PLE chairman so that he can also assist us with the bribery allegations. He first made the comments during the day the PLE hosted a PROs party in December and when EswatiniBank Cup was launched. So clearly this concerns him, we felt it also affects us hence the request to have an audience with him so that if there is something that is tangible then we can see what we can do,” Kunene said. Allegations of match fixing in local football are an old but never really touched matter and the comments repeatedly made by the PLE chairman raised a lot of eyebrows during the launch of the EswatiniBank Cup in February.

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