Amrouche on the right track – Nare
Sport
In a rather bizarre twist of events, Daniel Chico Nare emerges as the first local coach to support management changes that came with Adel Amrouche-the newly appointed Zebras head coach. Amrouche, upon his appointment, surveyed players attitude on and off the field and drew a conclusion that the results are beyond reproach and not so pleasing.
The Belgian born gaffer was to later meet with Botswana local coaches to try and find a common understanding. While ordinarily many local coaches are against the employment of Amrouche as a foreign coach, Nare caught a handful of them by surprise, and rather agrees and argues, unwavering with Amrouche that a lot of issues concerning players have to be ironed out. Amrouche was left faltered by Nare’s blend of honesty and brutality. “I think I like Security Systems coach, he is very honest and can be integral in changing the way we do things,” Amrouche told WeekendSport.
Nare has coached a number of premier league clubs and is currently with Security Systems, who to date leads the BTC elite league. He has played 5 games and remarkably won all of them. Nare agrees that players are not serious about their football career and the same attitude can be traced back from individual clubs. He says it has gone unchecked for so many years until it reaches the national teams.
“I believe the coach is on the right track, he needs to be supported. Players have gone out of the rails and this has started from our teams. I, alone, have also stopped giving my players off days because I have realized that they abuse them….bear in mind that alcohol abuse affect football careers in a negative way. These days we cannot export players because their attitudes are misplaced, so the coach is coming up well,” Nare opined.
The former Extension Gunners mentor also said he will gladly accept it should Amorouche call him to be his assistant coach. The new Zebras coach has suspended players who were caught red-handed with alcohol on camp premises. He wants them to face stern disciplinary action first before they can be recalled.
Amrouche’s style of management is not new to Botswana football. One Zebra’s legend who preferred anonymity said sometime in 1998, two Under 20 Zebras players were banned from national duty for a year, after bringing alcohol into the camp. Lovemore Mokgweetsi and Agisanyang Barcos Mosimanegape were the culprits. The former player is of the view that the behavior and attitude was in fact worsened by former Zebras head coach Peter Butler. He orated that coaches should be supported when they instil discipline.
Recently, one of Zebras former coaches, David Bright was forced to dump Lebogang Ditsile, for alleged drinking sprees. The Jwaneng Galaxy hard tackling midfielder, seemed to have made peace with his attitude and his back in the Zebras fold. For his part, Phaja Butale, also a former Zebras player argued that the coach should not be doing it for the sake of getting a result in the field of play.
“There is no right or wrong way of dealing with misconduct as the new boss, he wants to stamp his authority. I just hope he doesn’t do it at the expense of getting a result. If it were me, I would talk to the boys and give them a stern warning. Unless maybe beforehand he set a code of conduct which they then breached deliberately.” Butale stressed.
Sport
It’s do or die for Zebras
The senior national team, the Zebras, is currently in Equatorial Guinea to for an African Cup of Nations Qualifiers tie. Before they departed, the team’s coach, Mogomotsi Mpote, had his troops train in Morocco. This was through the agreement between the two countries.
The agreement between the BFA and the FĂ©dĂ©ration Moroccan Football Association states that the two nations will work together to organize friendly matches between their respective national teams. It also allows the establishment of football camps for the youth categories (U-15, U-17, and U-20), this includes women’s national teams.
The national team has played over 180 minutes in its two qualifying matches against Tunisia and Libya. Currently, the Zebras, Lesotho and Liberia are the only teams that haven’t scored yet in the competition (this is correct by press time on Friday).
Before the match against Equatorial Guinea match, the local boys who were once known as the whipping boys of Africa in the early 2000s, were languishing at the bottom of the log standings in group J. They lost their first match away to Libya on June 1, 2022. However, they managed to salvage a point against Tunisia last year.
Before the team left for Equatorial Guinea, coach Mpote urged his players to focus on keeping their hopes of making a return trip to the AFCON finals alive after an 11 year absence since the maiden appearance in 2012. He noted that they would not allow their opponents to score and would ensure that they would get a draw.
Despite the various changes that have occurred in the two countries’ football landscape, the two teams have only met once before. In 2010, the local boys defeated the Equatorial Guinea team in a friendly match, which ended in an emphatic win for the visitors. Since then, the two sides have realised different fortunes in FIFA rankings, with Equatorial Guinea ranked 51 places above the Zebras.
Meanwhile, in their last six games, Guinea has only managed to win one of them. They drew with Rwanda and Togo in September 2022 friendlies. They have found the back of the net just twice in their six games. On the other hand, the Zebras, won one match against Zambia and lost four on their way to finishing at the bottom of the group with four points. At the conclusion of their previous AFCON campaign, the local boys traveled to Zambia and secured a draw.
MPOTE CONFIDENT
Despite the recent results of the Guinean team, which have only managed to draw with Rwanda and Togo in their last six matches, coach Mpote is still confident that his team will perform well against the hosts.
According to the head coach, the local boys have the necessary skills and resources to perform well against any country. He noted that the team’s coaches have been studying abroad to gain a deeper understanding of the various aspects of football.
“Tactically they should also be ready. We need your (Botswana fans) usual support, when we come back from Equatorial Guinea, we will go to Francistown, and we will need you. You are our 12th player, and you are very important to us.”
OBED ITANI CHILUME STADIUM CERTIFIED
This week, the Botswana National Sports Commission (BNSC) Tuelo Serufho revealed that the Obed Itani Chilume Stadium will host the return leg of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between the local boys and Equatorial Guinea. The venue had initially failed an inspection test conducted by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). However, following the completion of the necessary works, the stadium was allowed to host the match.
According to BNSC Chief, Tuelo Serufho, the various requirements that the stadium must meet included having a designated parking area for the media and spectators, as well as having signage that will guide the spectators. He also noted that the venue now has a world-class media area.
Sport
Jagdish Shah rejects Rollers society
Township Rollers, one of the country’s most decorated football clubs with 15 premier league titles, is finding itself in a precarious situation as its long-term chief financier, Jagdish Shah, threatens to dump them if the society does not bow down to his demand of forfeiting their 20 percent interest in the company.
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Sport
Orange injects P350 000 into Phikwe marathon
Mobile network Orange Botswana is committed to supporting the development of local sport. Through its sponsorship, the company will be able to promote and market the sport. According to Maano Masisi, the company believes that sport can unite people from different backgrounds.
He stated that through the sponsorship of the marathon, the company will help promote healthy lifestyles and unity among the people of Selebi Phikwe.
The Selebi Phikwe Marathon is scheduled to take place on July 29, 2023. It is expected that it will attract international, regional, and social runners. A total of P216 000 has been allocated for the prize money for the first ten places in the 42.2 km race. For the 15km and 10km races, the LOC will give away prizes to the first five places.