Africa-Press – Eswatini. With all the costs involved in flying across the length and width of the continent in the CAF interclub competitions, Eswatini Football Association (EFA) has set aside E500 000 for each of the country’s envoys Royal Leopard and Mbabane Highlanders.
The budgeted amount does not come in cash but it will assist the participating teams materialistically like flight tickets and flying in match officials for home matches. EFA has been doing this for the past few seasons for clubs representing the country and again, as tabled in the passed budget during the association’s extraordinary general assembly for the next financial year, Leopard and Highlanders will be covered.
“It is the norm for EFA to assist clubs participating in CAF interclub competitions. Actually, the amount is in the association’s budget but does not come in cash, but helps in purchasing flight tickets among other materialistic needs,” our impeccable source at EFA said.
MTN Premier League champions Leopard will face Centre de Formation De Football Andoharanofotsy, simply known as CFFA from Madagascar in the premier TotalEnergies CAF Champions League while Highlanders have been handed a tricky draw against South Africa’s Royal AM.
The first leg of the first preliminary round batch of matches is scheduled for this weekend with the second leg games to be played a week later between September 16 and 18.
Also, EFA will save E1m from its budget which was allocated for the rental of stadiums outside the country following the Confederation of African Football (CAF) decision to temporarily approve Somhlolo National Stadium. However, the decision is expected to change if the local sides reach the group stages of the tournaments in games that christened ‘Category A’ CAF matches.
“EFA would like to greatly appreciate on the approval and in the same vein express a note of gratitude to the ministry of sports, culture and youth affairs for the collaboration as some of the urgent matters to allow the matches were addressed,” EFA said in a statement.
Leopard will start away, making the short flight across the Indian Ocean to Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar while Highlanders will start at home, at the revamped Somhlolo National Stadium. Both games are scheduled for Sunday, and it will be E50 per head when Highlanders clash with the side from Durban.
Wydad Athletic Club are the reigning TotalEnergies CAF Champions League champions. Another Moroccan club, RS Berkane are the defending champions of the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup, having won the trophy twice in three years.
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