Police side Royal Leopard made life easier for themselves after holding Maniema Union to a 1-1 draw in the CAF Confederation Cup match played at Stade des Martyrs in Kinshasa, DR Congo on Saturday.
This was the first leg of the second preliminary round, where the police side displayed great character to secure a crucial away draw. It was not an easy encounter and we salute Ingw’emabalabala for their resilience on foreign soil.
We are hopeful the police side will once again hoist the country’s flag high when they host the visitors at Somhlolo National Stadium on Saturday.
| Eswatini Observer WhatsApp Channel
Leopard now need to finish off the DR Congo team. Their coach must guard against complacency as the opposition will come out guns blazing, pushing for an early goal to unsettle them. Leopard should, therefore, approach this decisive match with caution and focus.
https://www.facebook.com/EswatiniObserver
They are experienced campaigners who are not new to such demanding encounters and know exactly what is expected of them when they host the visitors. The only concern could be the presence of new players in the team who may not yet be used to the pressure of such crucial matches. With the return leg coming this weekend, there is little time to take their foot off the pedal.
One can only trust that Leopard will continue with their good form and represent the country well even in the second leg. Maniema Union FC are no longer a closed book to Leopard and we hope the police side will make it to the next stage of the tournament, the group stages. Let us all support them as they proudly represent the country.
Meanwhile, Nsingizini Hotspurs need to dig deep into their reserves of courage to turn around their CAF Champions League tie after a 0-3 home loss to Tanzanian giants Simba SC at Somhlolo National Stadium on Saturday.
Insingizi Yezulu will play their crucial second leg in Tanzania and I personally feel they should have done better in the first leg to boost their chances of progressing to the next stage. Home wins are usually vital in continental competitions and Nsingizini will now have to double their efforts if they are to go past this stage.
In all honesty, the home team made a mistake by allowing Simba to score the three goals. The visitors were not a hard nut to crack, especially in the first half and I expected the Shiselweni-based side to make better use of their chances. It will be a tough second leg for them, but the Simba SC that played on Saturday can be matched if Nsingizini raise their game.
Their first-half performance was only average and Nsingizini should have capitalised, especially in that spell where they could have scored at least two goals. I will be honest and say Nsingizini did not live up to expectations; a more aggressive approach could have earned them something from the match.
I am not sure what went wrong on the day as they failed to play their normal attacking game. Only a few players troubled the opposition. The visitors did well in frustrating Nsingizini and though I will not dwell on the refereeing, there were moments that left one questioning certain decisions.
Nsingizini lacked drive, passion and commitment, judging by their overall display and as to why they could not score, it remains a mystery. We all know that Nsingizini face an uphill task as they travel to Tanzania for the second leg, but we still want to see an improved showing as they now understand what to expect from their opponents.
Anything is possible in football, if Simba could score three goals away, what can stop Nsingizini from doing the same? I still believe Nsingizini can perform better away from home.
Can Sihlangu be saved?
Sihlangu Semnikati’s hopes of qualifying for the World Cup were dashed long ago, leaving the team playing dead-rubber matches.
Now is the time to reflect on how they can turn things around, improve their world ranking and return to competing in major tournaments. However, this will remain a distant dream if we continue to field a selection of players that is questionable and only prepare by facing local opposition.
This is not to take anything away from our local teams, but I strongly believe we need to face tougher opposition if we are to grow and compete among the best on the continent. From what I have seen, we mostly play against local sides or sometimes Lesotho during friendly or preparatory matches and that makes me question whether our football is still in good hands.
RELATED: Better results are coming – Figa
Our leaders, unfortunately, seem too easily shaken. Write something about the national team and suddenly there are threats. That is not how things should be done. As former DPM Themba Masuku said on Sunday watching Nsingizini Hotspurs and Simba SC at Somhlolo National Stadium, football is much like politics, you do not get angry over issues; you face them with courage and fix what needs fixing.
Threatening journalists for doing their work is unacceptable. I will set this matter aside for now, but it is one I will revisit in detail another day. Back to the national team, I think our preparatory plan has now become a routine and I doubt playing against Lesotho now and again will do any good.
The fact that we are even losing these friendly games is a problem on its own. Imagine we play lowly ranked teams in Africa and still lose and this should tell you something about Sihlangu.The more things change with other national teams, the more they stay the same for our Sihlangu. To me these ‘weak’ friendly games have shown Eswatini Football Association (EFA) has the potential to self-destruct at the most inopportune moments.
Fans had hoped they were witnessing the rebirth of the national side under Logarusic Zdravko, but on the evidence of what happened after he was replaced by Sifiso ‘Nuro’ Ntibane and Ernest Mavuso, that remains a pipe-dream. The truth is the team has been battling to put two or three quality performances together in a row to give them the momentum they need, but are extremely consistent in their inconsistency.
It is fairly obvious that there needs to be a huge overhaul within the entire local footballing system. With multiple embarrassments, every true football fan and members of the public will agree that something has to be done. There are many aspects that need to run as a synergistic whole in order for our football engine to run efficiently.
Football talent must be nurtured from a young age like they do in other countries. There is no shortcut in football if we are to be ranked amongst the best. Specialised skills such as positional awareness, technique, ball retention, ball control, game pace, what to do when possession is lost and use of the ball in tight spaces are best taught from a child’s initial school years onward. Also, youngsters must be taught to improvise and think ‘on their feet’. Playing a once in a year Build-it Under-13 tournament is not enough. What happens to this crop of youngsters when ages phase them out?
We also need proper administration and this starts with the highest body, EFA down to the Premier League of Eswatini (PLE), lower leagues and local regional structures. Proper regulations, licensing, procedures and standards must be adhered to and the right people employed to do the job with cronyism and nepotism rooted out.
The constant rift between the EFA and teams about player availability must be resolved. Irregularities in our football must also be tackled.
Football is the most popular sporting code in the country and talent will always be surfacing. We need to stop being lazy, celebrating mediocrity and having the wrong administrators running the game.
Government, with a special effort form the sports minister, need to have a solid and amicable relationship with the national football body and both have to be on the same page with one common goal.
Implementing all of the above together is the only way that positive change can be ignited and indeed sustained.
Eswatini Observer Press Reader | View Here
