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DISCUSSING MALARIA PROBLEMS WITH MOSQUITO

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Sports Editor

 

One of the most interesting things about Saturday’s Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) elective conference is that some of the fierce critics of the current leadership want to join the organisation’s Executive Committee.

This makes for a stirring sub-plot to probably the most energy-sapping and dirty-as-a-coal-miner’s-underwear-in-January type of electioneering in the history of the 27-year-old organisation.

Since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen the organisation mired in allegedl mudslinging, in-fighting and backbiting as the elections drew nearer. 

Friends have apparently become foes, opportunists wander around looking for an opening to fulfil their interests and the core business of the sport suffering on the altar of the battle for power. 

So does the image of the organisation taking a serious knock as it is the case right now.

It is rather unfortunate that this battle for the soul of football, in particular, at the PLE, comes at a time when the whole world is submerged into the greatest tragedy of our lifetime – the COVID-19 pandemic.

double blow

It’s a double blow for the most followed sport in the country. Events of the past few weeks, in particular last Saturday’s aborted AGM, have also reminded us of the leadership crisis we have in football and the warring factions who have old scores to settle finding football as a pawn in their political chess game.

On Saturday, the members of the Board of Governors have a chance to draw the line in the sand - to put people in power who have the love of the sport at heart or to feed the sport to the minions.

But one thing is certain. In the PLE Board of Governors structure, which is a cut and paste from the South Africa’s Premier Soccer League (PSL), the Executive Committee is the MOST important structure. 

enforced

It is effectively the decision-making structure of the PLE. 

The Board of Governors formulate policies which are then enforced by the Executive Committee on their behalf. 

The executive committee works closely with the organisation’s chief executive officer (CEO), who by all its intent and purposes, is the driving force of the organisation. 

Then you have the chairman, who oversees everything and he works with the Executive Committee and the CEO. 

Ordinarily this is supposed to be the organisational structure of the PLE.

But all things considered, our organisational structure has many teething flaws. 

The major one being that, a majority of the PLE Board of Governors – unlike in SA – are not owners of the club. 

They are either in that position on secondment as MC members or representing the club chairman. Therein lies the rub. 

They cannot take binding decisions in those meetings and still need to consult other people or structures. This has caused a lot of consternation within the PLE Board of Governors structure, forcing some opportunists to even call for its disbandment.  

modified

Of course this is gobbledygook. It would be counterproductive and a knee-jerk reaction on something that could be modified.

It is very important therefore given this technicality to find people who can breathe life into the Executive Committee so that it can re-define its major role into the PLE structure and map a way forward for the organisation in all areas. 

That’s why we need a very strong Executive Committee to sort out the maladministration, the glaring lacking marketing shortfall of the organisation and the legal issues which have cost it an arm and a leg.

It is important, therefore, that the members of the PLE Board of Governors understand what electing people into this important structure means. If Eswatini football is to make any progress, turn its lemons into lemonade, these are the people who have the power to do so.  

So dear Board of Governor, I repeat, this is no popularity contest. Think long and hard before casting that vote. 

You have a power to either change Eswatini football for the better or take it down the drain.

So given that some of the biggest critics of the outgoing PLE Executive Committee now want to get into the self-same structure, will it be a case of discussing your malaria problems with a mosquito or is it just that too many ants are telling bees how to make honey? Sports Editor, Lwazi Dlamini gives an insight into the PLE elections with one day to go.

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