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15-TEAM MTN LEAGUE NEXT SEASON

23/12/2020 08:28:00 Themba Zwane

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MBABANE – Three clubs will be relegated to the MTN National First Division at the end of the 2020/21 football season.

Two clubs, finishing at the top of the first division table, will be promoted to the MTN Premier League. This ultimately means a 15-team MTN premier league is on the offing for the 2021/2022 season. This is according to the 2020/21 MTN Premier League Rules and Regulations compiled and presented by the Premier League of Eswatini (PLE). The rules were formulated such that the strategic relegation of teams reversed the teams back to 14 as was the case when the league was cancelled last season.

Due to the fact that the spread of COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the season before games were completed, the Eswatini Football Association (EFA) implemented promotions only and there was no relegation on all levels. This meant that teams increased to 16 at the elite league and 14 to the first division, something which the football mother body had indicated will be reversed through strategic relegation in an undisclosed number of seasons.

Promoted

PLE Executive Member, Mhlume Peacemakers Chairperson, Sibusiso ‘Scorpion’ Nxumalo, was last week interviewed on SuperSport where he told viewers that three teams will be relegated to the first division and two will be promoted to the premier league. Drawn for comment, the co-opted executive member said this was contained in the rules. Article 11(7) of the MTN Rules and Regulations under ‘league positions, relegation and promotion of clubs’ reads, ‘Clubs that have the least number of points on completion of the league and/or positioned 14th, 15th and 16th in the final log standing, shall be relegated from the Premier League Division to the National First Division League and the clubs finishing in the top two (2) positions of the MTN National First Division League shall be promoted to the Premier League Division. In determining the clubs to be relegated the format provided in Article 11(3), 11(4), 11(5), 11(6) herein shall be used.”

Meanwhile, the PLE Chairperson Mark Carmichael was also drawn for comment on the matter and politely asked not to comment for now. He said the EFA was the right entity to make a statement on the matter as they (PLE) received the directive from the EFA on promotion and relegation when the 2019/20 football season was cancelled.