BOTESSA goes for elections
Sport
Botswana Tertiary Sports Association (BOTESSA) has resolved in their last Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on the 14th of December that they will have to hold special general meeting aimed at electing president.
The association president Herbert Letsebe resigned last year due to ill health and the committee has been unbalanced without a head leaving a number of projects un-attended to. BOTESSA for the mean time has been headed by Keorapetse Setlhare who has held the fort well by far according to affiliates.
It is not clear as to who have raised hands for the presidential position, but this publication is reliably informed that Setlhare’s name dominates affiliates lips. “Most of them really want him to lead the association and it will really be up to him to accede to that. It is not only him but there are other names though are still concealed but it will be an interesting affair once names come out,” said a source this week.
One thing Setlhare charms affiliates about is his formation of Private Tertiary Sport Association (PTIA) which done well since its inception until recently when his energy shifted to BOTESSA as Vice President. BOTESSA under the leadership of Letsebe made a significant stride in sports development managing to convince FNB to pour millions of pula in pushing the historic varsity league which is expected to churn out a number of athletes ready to be absorbed by elite sports and represent this country at international level.
This has presented huge shoes to fit for however willing to take the baton as he will have to maintain the relationship and further come up with others that would be interested in developing the sports. “And Setlhare is the right man he was there when the deal was negotiated he knows what happened that is why even affiliates give him preferential treatment,” added a source.
Still at the AGM, association financial books which for a long time were cause of concern were declared to be healthy and clean. External auditors Tariq & Casim Okayed them while the 2019 budget was also presented to the affiliates and were given thumbs up. Still at the AGM the association endorsed Mompoloki Keakile as the Vice President Administration while T. Nyati was also co-opted as the association treasure. Gaborone University College of Law was also welcomed as a new member. The association as part of the of the community responsibility donated sports equipment to Moremi Memorial primary school.
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 Fédération 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.