COVID-19: 2 VITA STARS IN ESWATINI QUARANTINE

MBABANE – Two AS Vita stars were left to quarantine in the country last week after testing positive.

The duo of team Captain Jeremie Mumbere and central defender Guy Mfingi tested positive for the coronavirus in their second test after their first leg clash of the CAF Champions League 2020/21 against Young Buffaloes. The match finished in a 2-all draw at Mavuso Sports Centre over a week ago. CAF denotes Confederation of African Football.

They had to stay behind when the club left last Thursday through the King Mswati III International Airport at Sikhuphe.  The duo added to three other positive players who they had to leave at an airport in Kinshasa after testing positive. These include former Mbabane Swallows dreadlocked midfielder Papy Kabamba and Pascal Mbarga.

Mumbere was in the starting lineup in Manzini while Mfingi did not take part, with sources claiming his temperature a few hours before the match was suspicious and he was not on the team list.

The Kinshasa trio tested negative in their second test after quarantine and returned home while those in Eswatini are believed to have left the country last weekend. The duo that was left behind in Eswatini was confirmed by the club on its Facebook page. 

“The group came home without Captain Jeremie Mumbere and central defender Guy Mfingi. These two players tested positive for coronavirus. So, they stayed in Eswatini in quarantine waiting for the second confirmation test,” read the statement in part.

Confidential

It further states that the five players being the trio that tested positive on their way here for the first leg last Tuesday in Manzini and the duo that tested positive here were due to pass a collective training this past Monday morning on the Ujana Academy Field. 

The pre-match and post-match results were said to be confidential by the Eswatini Football Association (EFA) when they were put to question on the risk faced by Buffaloes, following that AS Vita players were already contacts to their three teammates in Kinshasa.

The EFA Marketing and Communications Officer, Muzi Radebe, had explained that the rules in football were that only a positive certificate leaves a player out of a match while a negative one at the time allows one to play. This effectively means one can enter the pitch negative and come out positive two to three days later.

The good news was that Buffaloes did not have any challenges last week, at least according to the players, but they are expecting new results before they can depart for the second leg due for next Wednesday. Buffaloes will leave the country on Sunday.

Radebe was called again yesterday about the Vita players who stayed behind and said the EFA maintained a high level of confidentiality. He also explained that CAF sends their own COVID-19 Compliance Officer who handles all these matters.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: