The decision by the Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) Board of Governors not to approve the proposed status swap between Manzini Wanderers and Red Rhinos should come as little surprise.
The issue has never simply been about whether Wanderers deserve to be in the Premier League. As one of the country’s biggest and most historically significant clubs, there is no doubt that the top flight is a more familiar stage for the Manzini giants. However, football is governed by rules and those rules cannot be bent simply because a club is popular or because supporters want to see it back in the elite league.
Wanderers were relegated from the Premier League while Red Rhinos earned promotion from the MulaSport National First Division. The proposed arrangement would effectively allow Wanderers to acquire Rhinos’ Premier League status and continue competing under the Manzini Wanderers name.
That is where the real problem lies.
It is difficult to reconcile a situation in which Manzini Wanderers are officially relegated from the Premier League and, in the same breath another Manzini Wanderers appears in the Premier League the following season through a status purchase.
Such an arrangement risks undermining the credibility of the competition and creating a dangerous precedent for future clubs.
I made this argument in an earlier column and attracted criticism from some Wanderers supporters who interpreted my position as opposition to the club’s return to the Premier League. That was never the case. I would welcome seeing Wanderers competing in the top flight. What I cannot support is a solution that ignores the regulations governing club status.
There are examples from other countries showing that status transactions can take place without pretending that nothing has changed. In South Africa, for instance, Moroka Swallows changed its name to Swallows FC after acquiring another club’s status. The important point is that the club could not simply remain exactly the same entity in circumstances where its league status had changed. That principle should also guide the Wanderers-Rhinos matter.
There are many other examples.
If the regulations permit the purchase or transfer of Red Rhinos’ status, then the clubs and football authorities should ensure that the resulting entity complies fully with the rules. If that means Wanderers must adopt a different name, such as Wanderers FC, then so be it.
The identity and history of Wanderers can still be preserved while the legal and sporting distinction between the relegated club and the new Premier League participant remains clear.
This is not about punishing Wanderers. It is about protecting the integrity of Eswatini football.
The heated PLE meeting, during which officials reportedly threatened legal action, demonstrates how sensitive the issue has become. Wanderers maintain that they submitted the required documentation and remain optimistic that the Eswatini Football Association (EFA) will approve their request.
However, the EFA AGM now has an important responsibility. The association should not simply look at what is popular or convenient. It should establish whether the proposed transaction complies with the applicable regulations and whether it protects the credibility of the Premier League.
The PLE has not approved the swap. The EFA should carefully consider the reasons behind that position and, if the rules support it, endorse the decision.
Manzini Wanderers belong in the national football conversation and hopefully one day they will return to the Premier League on sporting merit. But if a status purchase is the route back, then every rule must be respected.
Otherwise, we risk creating a league where relegation means little and promotion can be bypassed through arrangements that blur club identities. That would not strengthen local football. It would make our league look increasingly meaningless.
On a parting note, I still wonder why the media is not allowed to attend the PLE AGM. Well, that is a matter for another day.
