By Ntokozo Magongo
MBABANE – The Eswatini Football Association (EFA) is hoping for a holistic safe environment in all football activities after hosting the CAF Safe Stadium Initiative Workshop currently on-going in the country.
The three days workshop was official opened today (Tuesday, July 16, 2024) by EFA Vice President Steve Horton at Bethel Court, Ezulwini where about 20 officers are in attendance. The workshop is initiated by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) who has sent experts and it is attended aspiring safety and security officer among others.
“May I commence, by warmly welcoming our CAF experts, sent to facilitate the very first workshop in the African confederation for CAF member associations. You are welcome into the Kingdom of Eswatini.
We would like to express our gratitude to CAF for the now massive initiatives, making inroads towards the governance and development of the game in the African confederation, which also benefits Eswatini. In this regard, we greatly appreciate CAF’s stance to accord Eswatini the very first course under her auspices. CAF experts, you have an important assignment ahead of you this coming three days, one that will help us assure the establishment of a holistic safe environment in all the business that we do as football,” he said.
Horton said they also take pride that, before this very initiative, they had already trained safety and security personnel for matches, ever since FIFA made the very first invitations in 2014, where they had two people, one of whom now serves in our Safety and Security Committee, a statutory standing committee to oversee the implementation of such matters.
“We remain proud to have been able to produce a competent officer in this area, who later on became absorbed by the CAF secretariat in the Safety and Security department. We are also happy that two of the recently trained five women, as safety and security officers, have now been engaged by CAF in her competitions, one of whom also is the National Safety and Security Officer, replacing the officer hired by CAF.
We therefore have a great commitment to ensure a holistic training of our stakeholders, including Government who have over the years remained the greatest partner in this area,” he added.
He then requested the attendees to pay attention and upscale themselves to help them establish and safe and secure environment in the whole nature of our business.
“I would like to request the CAF experts to extend our sincere appreciation to the CAF President and the whole CAF Secretariat establishment for this initiative, which we are grabbing with both hands. We wish the CAF experts a good stay in the country and also wish success to the workshop. The football association is at your disposal to ensure that this course is successfully implemented,” he said.
He then pronounced the course officially opened.
