What led to Marumo’s bizarre kit situation, change of kickoff time 

Marumo Gallants surprised many on Sunday evening when they showed up using an unusual bizarre kit for the CAF Confederations Cup tie against Al Akhdar at Martyrs International Stadium. 

They lost 4-1 but still qualified for the last eight of the competition. But the club was forced to buy a new kit only a few hours before their match because their usual gear was left behind with the rest of their luggage in Turkey. The club connected to Libya via Istanbul. 

MARUMO GALLANTS BIZARRE KIT AND PLAYERS STUCK IN TURKEY 

But they experienced a number of problems which also resulted in four of their players remaining in Turkey and not joining their teammates in Libya.

The players are Lebohang Mabotja, Ranga Chivaviro, Letsie Koapeng and Mahlatse Makudubela. This publication has also been reliably informed that the players spent hours without eating while stuck inside the airport in Turkey. 

This resulted in the club playing the match with only three players on the bench. The match was nearly called off by the hosts because Marumo were nowhere to be found, but this publication has gathered that a SAFA delegation that travelled with the team intervened. 

WHY KICKOFF TIME WAS MOVED 

The match ended up being moved from the original 15:00 kickoff time to 19:00. The club arrived in Benghazi at 15:00 and headed straight to the stadium for the match. It’s unclear if this is due to mismanagement by the club. 

 FARPost has sent questions to club Liaison officers Rufus Matsena since Sunday night without success. 

The publication has also made contact with Marumo’s official kit supplier Monflair for a comment. But they were held up in a meeting. As it stands, the club is still stuck in Benghazi. They are likely to return to South Africa, provided there is a flight available

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