(At Mavuso Sports Centre)
Amawele..........0
Madlenya.........1
Gamedze 24th (PEN)
MANZINI — After a single season in the second-tier of local football, Madlenya have officially secured their return to the Premier League.
This follows a tense 1-0 victory over Amawele in the promotion play-offs yesterday. However, the achievement was heavily overshadowed by a pre-match skirmish, which allegedly resulted in a Madlenya official being stabbed.
The incident reportedly took place in the Mavuso Sports Centre dressing rooms just minutes before kick-off in a high-stakes match designed to decide the first team to book a spot in the MTN Premier League.
A source who witnessed the altercation revealed that the suspect was taken away by police for questioning. The injured Madlenya official was also escorted from the venue by law enforcement.
Both teams entered the clash level on three points, with Tamshana topping the four-club mini-league and the Lubombo-based Madlenya sitting in second place on goal difference.
Madlenya broke the deadlock 24 minutes in when an Amawele defender handled the ball inside the penalty area. Experienced referee Thulani Sibandze did not hesitate to point to the spot and skipper Thobelani Gamedze coolly stepped up to send goalkeeper Andile ‘Khune’ Zwane the wrong way.
*Full article available on Pressreader*
