WANDERERS PLAYERS STRIKE AGAIN

MBABANE – The struggle continues at Manzini Wanderers camp as the players have threatened to boycott the crucial MTN Premier League game against Royal Leopard today at KaLanga Technical Centre.

This is due to the unpaid salaries for the month of May and June. The players have been all along threatening to boycott their matches, but they did honour their games against Milling Hot Spurs and Tambankulu Callies and went on to win those matches 1-0.
Wanderers Public Relations Officer (PRO) Mlungisi Ndzinisa confirmed that they were now caught between a rock and a hard place concerning the match today. He said they had written to the Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) requesting that the match be postponed while they were trying to put their house in order.

Wanderers have only paid the players E1 000 each in intervals but the players are said to have made it clear that they have had enough of that and they want their full salaries. They missed Monday’s training session and it was yet to be seen if they were to attend yesterday’s evening training. “This is a very unfortunate situation that we are currently facing as a team. Monday we only had three players out of 25 at training. We could not train because of the poor attendance. The players have vowed not to honour the game on Wednesday (today) against Royal Leopard,” he said.

Salaries

Ndzinisa said they still have to raise about E400 000 for the players’ salaries, which according to him was a huge task to achieve. He said if by chance the players did come to training, they would try and negotiate with them to honour the game. “We have been trying to give them E1000 each to buy basic necessities but the players are now tired of this amount, they want their full salaries,” Ndzinisa said. All had been well in the club since the start of the season as their salaries and other expenses were catered for by South Africa businessman Cedric Mathatha, who is based in Nelspruit but he is reported to be indisposed currently. The Manzini Wanderers players have not received their salaries for two months, being May and June and now they will have to be paid triple, including for July.

Coach Nyanga ‘Crooks’ Hlophe said the financial constraints were still there in the team. He shared the same sentiments as the PRO that the players failed to show up at training. “I went to the training ground and there were only three players and I waited for the others in my car to arrive but they did not show up. I had to leave for home without training the team while we are going to a crucial match,” he said. Hlophe said he last had a conversation with the players after the 1-0 win against Tambankulu Callies on Saturday at Mavuso Sports Centre. “The players promised to attend training once they are paid their salaries and I hope the team will work on it so we can go back to normal,” said the former Mbabane Swallows and national team, Sihlangu coach.
Wanderers Chairman, Reuben ‘Rhoo’ Nxumalo, could not comment on the issue but referred all questions to the PRO. 

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