SIX-MONTH BREAK FOR SIHLANGU

MBABANE – The national team Sihlangu will have a six-month break following the postponement of the next round of Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Qualifiers.

They played the last competitive game this year against Botswana yesterday in a 2023 African Football Championship CHAN Qualifiers. The Dominic Kunene-led side was booted out of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) Qualifiers by the Zebras of Botswana on the away goal rule, after the two sides played to a 2-all draw in the second leg which was hosted by Eswatini at Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg. The two nations played to a goalless draw in the first leg that was played in Botswana a week back. Sihlangu has once again failed to beat the Zebras, as it is now 19 years since they beat Botswana. The country was to face Cape Verde in their third round of Group B TOTALEnergies AFCON Qualifiers next month. However, this fixture has been postponed to March next year.

This comes after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced the postponement of the fixtures which were billed for next month to help the five teams that will represent the continent in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar in December. According to a statement sourced from a document sent to members of the executive committee of the CAF, the decision to delay the qualifiers was eased when the finals, originally scheduled to be held in June and July next year in Ivory Coast, were postponed to early 2024 in a bid to avoid the rainy season. “It also makes it possible to set up dates in September to international friendly matches to prepare for the World Cup,” reads part of the statement.

Represented

The continent will be represented by the 2022 AFCON winner, Senegal, as well as the quartet of Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco and Tunisia for the 2022 World Cup billed for Qatar from November 21 to December 18. Sihlangu were able to collect a point in the two games they have played so far in the qualifiers after holding Togo to a 2-2 draw in the first match. They were then beaten 1-3 by Burkina Faso in the second match. No immediate comment could be drawn from Eswatini Football Association (EFA) as Marketing and Communications Officer Muzi Radebe’s phone was not reachable.

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