Nearly E6 million of
public money is to be pumped into the controversial football tournament in
Swaziland created to honour the kingdom’s absolute monarch King Mswati III.
The Swazi Ministry of
Sport, Culture and Youth Affairs has been given E5.8 million (US$580,000) by government
to fund the so-called King’s Super Cup.
The money will be
diverted to the tournament scheduled for 18 July 2015 that features two of
South Africa’s top clubs, the Orlando Pirates and the Kaizer Chiefs.
The money has been diverted
from a number of government departments in the cash-strapped kingdom, where
seven in ten of the 1.3 million population have incomes of less than US$2 a
day.
According to local media in Swaziland
the money will have to be repaid after the tournament, but this would only be
possible if the event is a financial success.
The winner of the tournament
will reportedly take E1 million prize money. The cheapest tickets will
be E250, which is out of the reach of most Swazi people.
Meanwhile, one of the
groups opposing the tournament on the grounds that it
would be seen as supporting the King who has been criticised globally for the poor
human rights in his kingdom, has promised what it calls a ‘revolution’ in
Swaziland if the tournament goes ahead.
The Swaziland
Solidarity Network (SSN) was widely
reported in South African media saying it had ‘underground’ plans to
dispatch a revolution if the South African clubs went ahead.
Lucky Lukhele, the SSN spokesperson, was reported saying ‘All systems are in
place underground and overground in South Africa and in Swaziland should they
[Pirates and Chiefs] decide to ignore us.’
He added, ‘Our revolution will not be peed on
by ignorant people. We have a network of people who are helping us and we are
ready for anything.’
See also
CALL
TO BOYCOTT KING’S SOCCER CUP
SWAZI
KING’S CUP TICKET PRICES SKY HIGH
CAMPAIGN
TO STOP KING’S CUP SPREADS
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