Football: Eswatini’s Sihlangu to face the Netherlands on 15 November
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Times of Eswatini
After their first historic match against Malta, Eswatini’s national football team is to play a friendly against the Netherlands on 15 November, according to the Eswatini Football Association. Its secretary general, Frederick Mngomezulu, said the trips would cost more than one million emalangeni, and the association’s president links these matches to the goal of qualifying for the AFCON and the World Cup.
Eswatini’s national team, the Sihlangu, is to play a friendly against the Netherlands on 15 November, after its first historic encounter against Malta on Thursday in Europe. The secretary general of the Eswatini Football Association (EFA), Frederick Mngomezulu, announced this schedule at the team’s departure ceremony at Bethel Court in Ezulwini; the opponent has yet to be confirmed.
According to him, these trips should cost more than one million emalangeni. He believes that with greater resources it would be easier to travel for friendlies, which he considers essential to football development. The EFA president, Peter “Samora” Simelane, links these matches to King Mswati III’s ambition to see the Sihlangu qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the World Cup. He says good results could improve the country’s international ranking.
The Netherlands, who face Greece on Friday in the UEFA Nations League, count among their players Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo, of Liverpool, and Frenkie de Jong, of FC Barcelona. The Sihlangu’s new captain, Philani “Mkasabuli” Mkhonto, hopes this tour will attract the interest of foreign clubs in the country’s players.
These matches come after the return of Dominic Kunene as head coach of the Sihlangu. Benin, which faced Argentina during last month’s international break, is taking a comparable approach.
