SOCCER – THE ministry of sports, culture and youth affairs believes the Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) should have allowed more time for water to drain from the Somhlolo National Stadium pitch before postponing the two outstanding Charity Cup finals on Sunday.
The ministry maintains that play could have resumed after a few minutes, arguing that the stadium’s drainage system was functioning properly and had been certified and approved by FIFA.
This follows Sunday’s dramatic abandonment of the PLE Charity Cup finals after heavy rainfall left the Somhlolo National Stadium pitch waterlogged, forcing football authorities to postpone the remaining two matches.
The first final between Nkwene Sundowns and Lozitha Spurs had already kicked off, with 13 minutes played when the referee stopped the match due to the waterlogged pitch. The second final, featuring Mbabane Highlanders AM and Nsingizini Hotspurs was scheduled for 4pm but could not get underway.
However, the ministry believes the situation could have been handled differently had the organisers exercised patience and allowed sufficient time for the water to drain. Responding to questions from this publication, the ministry’s Communications Officer Phumaphi Msweli maintained that the drainage system was functioning properly.
She explained that some surface water runoff was normal following periods of heavy rainfall.
“The drainage system at Somhlolo National Stadium is functioning properly as certified and approved by FIFA. However, it is normal for some surface water runoff to occur following periods of heavy rainfall,” she said.
Msweli further suggested that the PLE had called off the matches prematurely, arguing that a short delay could have allowed play to resume.
“The water would have drained naturally after a few minutes, allowing the games to resume. Had the organisers waited for a short while, play could have continued once the water had cleared,” she stated.
Meanwhile, the ministry has ruled out reducing the stadium booking fee or compensating the PLE for the disruption to the programme. Some fans had hoped that the PLE would be offered a reduced booking fee of less than E10 000 if it had to rebook the stadium to complete the outstanding finals.
However, Msweli explained that the ministry charges for stadium bookings per event rather than per individual match. She said the fact that some games were affected by the rainfall did not warrant a reduction in the fee, particularly as other matches had been played as scheduled.
“Although some games were affected by the rainfall, other games were successfully played as scheduled. Therefore, the event booking fee remains applicable and no reduced fee or compensation will be granted,” she said.
The ministry further made it clear that the PLE would have to pay the full applicable booking fee should it wish to secure the venue again to complete the outstanding finals.
“Should the organisers wish to rebook the stadium to complete the remaining games, they will be required to pay the full applicable booking fee,” she said.
Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) Chief Executive Officer Petros Vilakati said the postponement was necessitated by the poor condition of the pitch following heavy rainfall. He explained that after assessing the state of the playing surface, they had no option but to call off the remaining matches.
“We will inform stakeholders of the new date on which the matches will be played. This decision was made in consultation with football stakeholders,” Vilakati said.
