MBABANE – Frustrated Mbabane Swallows midfielder Banele ‘Pupu’ Sikhondze, who was last month withdrawn from the team’s morning training session, was turned back once again.
This publication reported last month that the supporter’s favourite player was unhappy at the capital city giants after falling down the pecking order. Since coming on board, Coach Caleb Ngwenya has preferred to use youngsters Leon ‘Chuster ‘Manyisa, Kabia Mohamed and Neliswa ‘Tiger’ Dlamini ahead of ‘Pupu’ in the star-studded Swallows midfield position. A source within the Umkhonto KaShaka camp later revealed that the ex-South Africa’s (SA) Polokwane City player was told to leave the Swallows training camp after an alleged heated argument with Ngwenya. “Pupu has appeared numerous times before the club’s DC and the coach turned him away from training on Tuesday (yesterday) morning because he had to go appear before the MC (management committee), to answer on his absence in the past two weeks,” the source had earlier said.
Latest developments, through a Mbabane Swallows source, suggested that ‘Pupu’ was back involved in the morning session of the team under the watchful eye of Siza ‘King Pele’ Dlamini yesterday, but was told not to return in the afternoon session by Coach Ngwenya. The latter had reportedly arrived after training was done. “Caleb told Pupu after training that he must not come back in the team. He made it clear to the player that he must go meet the team MC before he can even think about making a return to his team,” said the source.
Unfortunate
The source went on to reveal that the player’s heart was at the team and he wanted to play football. “Pupu is a player who loves training and all he wants is to play football. The issue is big and there are theories that suggest that they want to make the player look like he is troublesome, so that teams cannot sign him when he is one player that is disciplined. Pupu loves the team and this is just an unfortunate situation where the coach has always had an issue with him from the past,” the source added. The team’s General Manager, Sandile ‘Beyond 2000’ Zwane, when contacted yesterday afternoon, said the player met the president committee last week. “Pupu, is meeting the management committee today,” he said briefly. Meanwhile, the team supporters were quick to react after being defeated 4-2 by Royal Leopard last Sunday and made it known that they wanted the stylish player back in the team, with others waiting for the coach to come out of the team’s dressing rooms, so that they could skin him alive following the embarrassing defeat at the hands of the dethroned league champions.
