Football

MBABANE – The performance of Royal Leopard and Sihlangu Captain Junior Magagula has sent ripples across the continent.

This has placed the gifted midfielder firmly on the radar of a major Central African club.The dynamic player is reportedly on the wishlist of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) outfit AS Maniema Union.

This interest follows the closely-contested 2025/26 TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup second preliminary round, where Maniema Union narrowly beat Leopard 4-3 on penalties to advance to the group stages.

Ingwe Mabalabala had the advantage of an away goal after a 1-1 draw in the DRC, but a second 1-1 draw last Saturday at the Somhlolo National Stadium forced the inevitable shootout.

According to a source close to the AS Maniema Union camp, even though the police side’s midfield maestro missed his penalty, his overall performance across the two-legged tie was enough to grab the attention of the DRC team.

The source revealed that the ‘Greens and Blacks’ are eager to sign Magagula to strengthen their squad for the group stages of the second-tier continental inter-clubs competition.

Full article available in our publication.

Royal Leopard Captain Junior Magagula in action against Young African, he is reportedly on the wish list of AS Maniema Union. (Pic: Sanele Jele)