Ntibane leaves Eswatini post after disastrous AFCON race

Sifiso Ntibane has announced the end of his tenure as Eswatini national team interim coach. He made the announcement in the aftermath of embarrassing back-to-back defeats to Eritrea.

Under the tutelage of the former assistant coach, Sihlangu SeMnikati lost 2-0 away and 2-1 at home in the past week to the Red Sea Camels in the preliminary rounds of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.

Such uncharacteristic losses, the latest being on Sunday, condemned Eswatini out of the race for a place in the group phase of the AFCON qualifiers.

What coach Ntibane told Eswatini media

In a post-match interview as quoted by Eswatini Observer newspaper, Ntibane confirmed that his two-month mandate ended on Sunday March 31.

“Tonight is my last day,” he said on Sunday. “The agreement was only for two months. Going forward, it will all be about working with the EFA on raised concerns and see if they are rectified. If these things are addressed, I will not have a problem working for the country because after all, we have been brought up by this football system.”

The newspaper quoted Eswatini Football Association (EFA) president Peter Simelane saying his body will meet to decide on the future of the coaching panel following the AFCON disaster.

“It is not a good result. There are a lot of issues that need to be addressed. We are still to meet and decide on the future of the technical team,” said Simelane.

How Ntibane rose to helm of Eswatini national team

EFA named Ntibane as Sihlangu’s interim coach last September after parting ways with Zdravko Logarusic.

The association sacked the Croatian-born coach with only two matches remaining in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers.

The EFA Executive Committee promoted Ntibane from a previous deputy coach role to oversee the remaining World Cup qualifying matches against Cape Verde and Angola in October 2025.

Ernest Mavuso was named the acting assistant coach during this period.