By Sibusiso Masilela
The cat is out of the bag.
Mbabane Swallows were rocked by a food poisoning scare before the 4-1 humiliation in the hands of a ruthless Green Mamba during an MTN Premier League match at King Sobhuza II Memorial Stadium on Sunday.
A total of 10 of the capital city giant’s players and an undisclosed number of officials reported stomach illnesses to the team’s medical panel headed by one of the country’s seasoned medic Samkeliso Mdluli.
The red and white glamour side eventually suffered a 4-1 drubbing at the hands of the defending champions. They also suffered 0-6 annihilation to the ‘Correctional Services’ side during the PLE Trade Fair Cup final played on September 10 at Mavuso Sports Centre.
A source close to the matter revealed that the affected players featured in the match after the medical panel sought quick medical intervention.
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“At least 10 players reported illness a few hours before the match in what looked like food poisoning. The medical panel had to seek quick medical intervention to ensure that they feature in the match. The matter is still under investigation by the top officials and some of the players might not return to training anytime soon,” the source said.
Swallows Public Relations Officer (PRO) Knowledge Ngwenya confirmed the incident.
“The matter is still under investigation, and it is being handled by our medical panel. You can get more details from Mdluli who is our senior team doctor,” he said.
Mdluli was said he was not mandated to make a comment in respect of the team’s protocol.
“This is a sensitive matter which is not for public consumption, and we have submitted reports about the incident to the Management committee (MC),” he said.
The crowd pullers will on Sunday take part in the MoMo Cup where they will face National First Division newcomers Lozitha Spurs on Sunday at Mavuso Sports Centre.
