PLE IN PARTICIPATION FEE PAYMENT DRAMA

MANZINI - Payments gone wrong.

That is what has left the Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) Executive Committee with an egg on their faces. Just last week, this publication reported the PLE double paid First Division League side Pigg’s Peak Black Swallows in participation fee for the current 2021/22 season. It was reported Black Swallows received E40 000 instead of E20 000 and were now expected to repay the extra cash to the PLE after they had used it. As it has since turned out, Black Swallows was paid E100 000 alongside Mhlume Peacemakers, which is participation fee for the top league teams.

Relegated

The two teams were relegated at the end of last season to the MTN National First Division League, while Vovovo and Rangers were promoted to the big boys’ league. The latter two deserved the E100 000 fee each. Investigations have indicated that the PLE was moving from pillar to post to correct their payment mistake. Premier League teams receive E100 000 as participation fee with National First Division teams getting E20 000. “The two elite teams were then given the rest of the money so they were sorted, but after they had also asked questions after they had received E20 000 apiece initially, E80 000 less than their actual participation fee,” an impeccable source said.

The source further said the challenge was with the First Division where some teams must pay back the money that was mistakenly given to them. Vovovo Public Relations Officer (PRO) Sandile ‘Ntofo’ Dlamini said he had not been made aware of the matter and asked to consult. Upon doing that, he returned with a terse ‘no comment’.

Peacemakers’ PRO Bheka Magagula also asked not to comment saying it was not brought to his attention by the team’s authorities. He advised the club’s director, Sibusiso ‘Scorpion’ Nxumalo who is also a legislator to be reached. Nxumalo is also a member of the PLE Executive Committee. However, there was no immediate response from Nxumalo. Black Swallows’ Director and PLE Executive  Committee member, Charles Matsebula, said he was in a meeting for the better part of the day yesterday.

The Times Sports Desk has since established that they had already started the process to repay the money. PLE Chief Operations Officer (COO) Pat Vilakati said this was a confidential issue between the PLE and the affected clubs. “We have a lot of clubs owing us but we can’t reveal figures and names unless the teams agree to share with the media then we can’t interfere,” Vilakati said. The organisation’s Chairman Mark Carmichael had acknowledged last week that they had mistakenly used last season’s template when the payments were made but they were working around the clock to recover the money paid out mistakenly.

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