MBABANE – Soccer players in the kingdom are doing the right thing – getting vaccinated and EFA wants teams with the most vaccinated fans rewarded.
This has been made possible through a campaign by the Eswatini Football Association (EFA), the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs, and the Ministry of Health.
In fact, the launch of the campaign has seen football players, supporters, and officials take the vaccine, including Mbabane Swallows’ Wonder Nhleko, Mbabane Highlanders’ Mlamuli Nkambule, and Manzini Wanderers supporter Sdumo Ngwenya.
Minister of Sports Madze Bulunga said football, played by thousands across the country’s Leagues and passionately followed by thousands more, has enough power and capacity to unite us towards herd immunity.
“It is, therefore, our challenge as the football family, be it supporters, players, officials- all of us who feed into this vast football supply chain, from the dusty leagues all the way to the lights of Somhlolo Stadium- to do the right thing and get vaccinated,” he said.
Meanwhile, Minister of Health Lizzie Nkosi said: “I wish to express our gratitude to the country’s football fraternity for this partnership that will bring new energy to our vaccination campaign. As football people, you know the value of time, discipline, preparation, teamwork, and a good body.”
She continued: “We need the same discipline for this vaccination drive. I encourage football people to use those same values and help bring the ball into our court as the Ministry of Health. If we don’t do this, by December we will have the 4th wave and start losing people again.”
EFA President Peter Simelane said they were looking at ways to have a competition where EFA will determine the club with the most vaccinated fans during the course of the campaign and incentivize clubs that will lead.
PLE Chairman Mark Carmichael said: “This campaign will help us put football back where it deserves to be. Through football, we can revive our country’s economy and through football, we will defeat COVID-19,”
Supporters Representative Knowledge Ngwenya said: “We believe that of the 67% needed to vaccinate for the country to reach herd immunity, half of it will come from football. Football will not disappoint Government. We will sensitize our fellow supporters to also vaccinate,”
