NO 1ST DIVISION RELEGATION

MBABANE – Rescued!

This summarises the fate of four MTN National First Division League teams who will not be relegated this season - thanks to the suspension of regional football due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The quartet of Rail United, Umbelebele, Sisonkhe and Ludzeludze Killers made the rare escape after finishing at the bottom of the table end of the 2020/21 season. This means there will be 14 teams campaigning in the national first division when the season kicks off on October 8. According to the 2020/21 MTN National First Division rules and regulations, the four bottom teams at the end of the season were to be relegated with the same number promoted from the four regional football associations. Eswatini Football Association (EFA) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Frederick Mngomezulu announced yesterday that relegation and promotion was going to only apply between the MTN Premier League and the MTN National First Division as these were the only active leagues in the past season.

Promotion

The promotion of Vovovo FC and Rangers to the elite league and Pigg’s Peak Black Swallows and Mhlume Peacemakers relegation to the MTN National First Division stands. This means there would be 16 teams campaigning in the premier league and 14 teams in the national first division league. Mngomezulu said things were not normal due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He said the relegation and promotion this season will be determined by the regional football leagues if it indeed does kick off in November as anticipated. “No football competitions were implemented in the regional football associations. The Premier League relegations shall be effected as per the directives of Circular No. 163, where the bottom two teams at the conclusion of the 2020/2021 season will be relegated to the National First Division League. With respect to the National First Division League, the top two teams at the conclusion of the 2020/2021 season will be promoted to the Premier League division, with no relegations effected,” he said.

Excited

Umbelebele Public Relations Officer (PRO) Sifiso Hlatshwako said they were excited over the news, despite that there was nothing official that had been communicated to them so far. “Who wants to go down? We were standing on the edge because we had the hope that we may be presented with a second chance of playing in the MTN First Division after we got relegated. If we are given the chance to survive, we will take it with both hands,” he said.

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