Respected Mozambique-born coach Dário Monteiro will be unveiled as the new head coach of Mbabane Swallows today.
Monterio is currently the manager of Desportivo de Maputo and the Mozambique national under-20 football team. He famously led the Mozambique U-20 side to the finals of the COSAFA Cup Championships hosted by Eswatini in 2022 where they lost 1-0 during the finals to Zambia at the Somhlolo National Stadium.
Born on February 27, 1977, he is a retired Mozambican footballer who played as a striker. He spent the majority of his professional career in Portugal, recording 138 Primeira Liga appearances and 35 goals over seven seasons, mostly with Académica. Towards the end of his playing days, he had a two-year spell in South Africa, turning out for Mamelodi Sundowns.
Monteiro arrived in the country yesterday and will be formally introduced as Swallows’ new head coach as part of a takeover deal involving a reputable company, as reported by this publication last week. Also set to be unveiled are at least four players, intended to lay the foundation for a competitive squad for the seven-time MTN Premier League champions.
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Swallows are currently finalising a few remaining details before officially announcing the landmark investment, valued at a minimum of E3 million per season. The investor, whose identity is being withheld pending a formal presentation to supporters, is a dual United States-Italian citizen.
The investor’s representatives arrived in the country last Friday to formalise the takeover of what is arguably the most successful football club in Eswatini’s recent history.
“You got the name right, and yes, Dário will be the new head coach. The investors are coming in with their own head coach and will be bringing in four international players,” a source close to the deal revealed.
During the official presentation, Swallows are also expected to announce a new technical partnership, which includes replica kits that honour the club’s traditional red and white colours, based on images seen by this publication.
Beyond his business credentials, the investor is passionate about football and is reportedly a shareholder in a football club based in neighbouring Mozambique. The company owning that club is focused on expanding its social impact by building a global portfolio of emerging football and sports teams. This expansion includes efforts to win tournament prizes, secure sponsorships, and provide professional football and sports consulting services.
The Swallows takeover is being facilitated by Management Committee (MC) Chairman Abraham ‘AB’ Dlamini.
M0nteiro also represented Mozambique at two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments — Burkina Faso 1998 and Angola 2010 — helping the team reach the quarter-finals in the latter. He earned a total of 40 caps and scored 16 goals over a 15-year international career.
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