SOCCER – Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) Vice-Chairman and Red Rhinos President Sithembiso ‘Ngudze’ Mamba has launched a scathing attack on football authorities, accusing certain officials of deliberately frustrating Manzini Wanderers’ bid to return to the top flight.
Ngudze made the explosive remarks yesterday at Mavuso Sports Centre after Wanderers failed to honour their 8BET Trade Fair Cup quarter-final match against Green Mamba, amid an escalating dispute over the club’s attempt to acquire Red Rhinos’ Premier League status.
The outspoken administrator said Wanderers’ absence from the match was linked to the late response they received from the Eswatini Football Association (EFA) regarding their application to compete in the Premier League.
According to Ngudze, Wanderers and Red Rhinos had submitted all the required documentation to both the EFA and PLE within the stipulated timeframes, but only received a response at around 1pm yesterday — just hours before the scheduled 5pm kick-off.
He said the late communication left Wanderers with virtually no time to complete the registration of players required to participate in the match.
“Wanderers and Red Rhinos are not at fault here. We both submitted all documents on time to both the PLE and EFA, only to get a response at 1pm today. This was short notice for the club, who had to register their players by 4pm for kick-off at 5pm,” Ngudze said.
The Red Rhinos president then took aim at unnamed football authorities and leaders, accusing them of allowing personal interests to interfere with Wanderers’ attempt to reclaim their place in the country’s elite league.
“Some people’s egos are the reason we are here today. They need to fix these issues and do what is right for football. There was no reason for those people to frustrate the efforts by Wanderers. Why are they fighting Wanderers? They must stop,” he said.
Ngudze insisted that the proposed sale of Red Rhinos’ Premier League status to Wanderers was driven by legitimate business considerations and argued that the deal should not be viewed as an attempt to undermine the domestic game.
He said it would make little sense for football authorities to prevent Wanderers from returning to the Premier League after the two clubs had pursued the status transfer through the required processes.
“The reason for selling the status to Wanderers was purely business. It would be folly not to have them back in the Premier League,” he said.
Wanderers, one of the country’s traditional football giants, were relegated from the Premier League last season for the first time in the club’s 69-year history.
The maroon and white subsequently sought a route back into the elite league through the acquisition of Red Rhinos’ status, but the proposed move has now become the subject of an administrative dispute.
The latest development also threatens to overshadow the 8BET Trade Fair Cup, where Wanderers were scheduled to face Green Mamba yesterday.
The club’s failure to honour the fixture has raised further questions about its immediate participation in the tournament as the status dispute continues.
Ngudze, however, maintained that the matter could still be resolved if football authorities put the interests of the game ahead of personal differences.
