It’s country over club

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By Chris Dlamini

Professionalism must lead.

This is the expectation from the senior national team Sihlangu Semnikati players who have been called up for camp.

“They have to be professional. This is football and things happen. I mean it happened with Owa when I first got here, but we can’t throw him out for good over one incident.

“This is the national team, and we’re going to face Cameroon and Libya. I think since that incident, the players have all been here and on time,” responded Logarusic when questioned if he did not have any fears, considering experience, players skipping camp to represent their teams in the 8Bet Trade Fair Cup 2025.

The Trade Fair Cup resumes from August 30 until September 7. Sihlangu starts camp on Tuesday.

“We can’t please everyone. We know about the Trade Fair Cup and CAF games for Leopard and Nsingizini, but this is the national team, and players must be professional.

“Camp starts immediately tomorrow morning (Tuesday, August 19),” the head coach said after he had also been asked about the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League and TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup envoys, Nsingizini Hotspurs and Royal Leopard’s players.

Sihlangu will be away in both World Cup Qualifiers 2026 games against Cameroon on September 7 and then Libya four days later.

Meanwhile, Logarusic and his assistant Sifiso ‘Nuro’ Ntibane named their team during a press conference at the Eswatini Football Association (EFA) Technical Centre, Lobamba on Monday.

Worth noting in the squad is the return of Young Buffaloes attacking midfielder Bongwa ‘Owa’ Matsebula and Nsingizini Hotspurs winger Thubelihle Mavuso. The duo were left out in previous assignments for separate reasons of unprofessional conduct.

On another note, the two coaches also explained that the players’ fitness levels also counted when calling up the squad. They acknowledged that most teams,

particularly those dominating the squad, Nsingizini Hotspurs and Royal Leopard, had been busy with preseason. The full squad is listed in the article.

Sihlangu Semnikati called up players:

1. Simanga Masangane
2. Mzwandile Mabelesa
3. Mlamuli Makhanya
4. Gift Gamedze
5. Junior Magagula
6. Ayanda Kunene (All Royal Leopard)
7. Bongwa ‘Owa’ Matsebula
8. Innocent ‘Makhehleni’ Dlamini
9. Siphosethu Mabilisa (All Young Buffaloes) 10. Mxolisi Manana (Green Mamba) 11. Newman Philiso (Mbabane Swallows) 12. Nkosingiphile Shongwe 13. Khanyakwezwe Shabalala 14. Neliswa ‘Tiger’ Dlamini 15. Kwakhe Thwala 16. Thubelihle Mavuso (All Nsingizini Hotspurs) 17. Mayibongwe Mabuza 18. Philani Mkhonto 19. Joseph Gibonga (All Manzini Sea Birds) 20. Mthobisi Zwane (Moneni Pirates) 21. Justice Figareido (Chippa United, SA) 22. Alakhe Mdluli (Amazulu, SA)

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