MBABANE – Only time will tell.
The above statement sums up the current situation both the Premier and National First Division clubs find themselves in, as far as the start of the 2023/24 season is concerned. Globally, most leagues start in August but the Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) is yet to announce the exact dates for the local league to commence. Usually the country’s league begins after both the Eswatini Football Association (EFA) and PLE Annual General Meetings (AGMs). The PLE on Saturday held its special meeting with the 28 elite league teams’ representatives, which was held at Sigwaca House to address them. Headlining the special meeting agenda was the issue of the 2023/24 season calendar and when the organisation would host its AGM, as well as the league’s rules and regulations. The organisation’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Kenneth Makhanya, when addressing members of the media after the meeting, revealed that they would host the AGM after that of the local football mother body’s.
Coming
“Our AGM will be held on September 13, after that of EFA, which will be on August 28. Coming to when our league will start, it is the football manager who can give you a clear answer,” the former Mamelodi Sundowns manager said. On the other hand, PLE Football Manager Pat Vilakati said they had projected dates for the kick-off of the new season, but could not reveal them. “The football calendar is standard and our wish is that by May we must have finished playing. At least by August we should have started with our pre-season tournament. We have our projected dates of starting the league and as we play we should have it in mind that there would be FIFA weeks, whereby we will have clubs to represent us in CAF competitions,” the former PLE chief operation officer (COO) said.
considering
This will be one of the longest pre-seasons for local teams, considering that most of them had started preparing for the new season early last month, as they anticipated that since the past season finished on time, the PLE would return to the normal football season of August to May. Meanwhile, it seems as if it is going to be a busy season for the local teams as PLE has lined up a number of competitions, this was after the football manager revealed that they were currently in talks with prospective sponsors for cup tournaments. It is worth mentioning that the PLE has already launched two tournaments. This is the 2023 MoMo Cup and the Bible Society Cup.