BNSC return stadia back to Gov’t
Sport
Botswana National Sport Council (BNSC) is returning all stadiums under and its care and management back to Government as it is failing to maintain the facilities.
Botswana Basketball Association (BBA) President, Boineelo Hardy revealed on Wednesday at the University of Botswana (UB) when participating in a panel discussion to discuss the proposed ten new Community Mini Stadia that Government plans to construct in 10 villages around the country to promote community recreation and sport development. This was said in the presence of BNSC Board Member, Tsoseletso Magang who was also a panelist interrogating the need for the extra 10 sport facilities. BBA is an affiliate of the BNSC.
Hardy was questioning the wisdom to construct extra stadiums when Government is already failing to maintain the existing facilities to a point where the Sport Commission has now resolved to relinquish management responsibilities for the stadiums. She argued that “until Government realizes and acknowledges that facility management is a profession on its own, management of sport facilities in the country will remain a challenge.”
She advised that Government should consider hiring professionals to manage the facilities so that they can remain in good condition and be self-sustaining financially. She observed that Government is spending a lot of money training top athletes like Nijel Amos in high performance facilities abroad to match and cater for the need and the level of professionalism that the athletes are at. She said Government should upgrade their existing facilities into high performance centres and put in charge people with the necessary skills to manage the facilities.
Tsoseletso Magang noted that the BNSC is having a challenge in managing the facilities because it is expensive, explaining that Government’s subvention has never been enough. She said because of the high cost of maintenance, the Commission had to start the financial year with a huge deficit. This is generally believed to be the reason why the Commission is overcharging its affiliates for utilizing the facilities, the price tag that many sporting codes including football have failed to pay resulting in underutilization of the facilities.
The BNSC Board member has however explained that while the high cost for using the facilities contributes to less utilisation of the stadiums, the problem is largely compounded by the poor quality and below par standards of these facilities. Former Chief Executive Officer at the BNSC, Kitso Kemoeng reiterated that the cost of maintaining the facilities is high and therefore users of the facilities will always be charged some fee no matter who runs the stadiums. “Government should always take care of the maintenance cost of the stadium no matter who manages them,” he said.
The Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development however holds a different view. The Director of Sport in the ministry, Moreetsi Bogosi blames BNSC for the failure to properly manage sport facilities. Responding of the deliberations at the panel discussion, Bogosi said the Sport Commission have failed Botswana sport as they have failed to manage the facilities despite having made promises to turn around the stadiums into financially self-sustaining facilities through their Business Development Manager.
BNSC Affiliates at logger heads
Meanwhile, both BNSC and Botswana Basketball Association have acceded that there is bad blood between the Commission’s affiliates, a reality that negatively affect the growth of the sport fraternity in Botswana. The wrangling among sport federations was revealed by Media Personality and News Editor, Kealeboga Dihutso who noted that sport in Botswana has itself to blame for lack of development as they cannot sit at table and unreservedly agree on one firm case that would advance sport because of fighting amongst each other.
Dihutso said sport federations need to iron out their differences so that they can be able to successfully lobby and make their collective voice heard. This was supported by Kemoeng who also acknowledged the existence of sour relations amongst and within sport associations which he said hampers progress. Crudely putting it, he advised to BNSC and affiliates to deal with their “hatred” for each other and put sport first. He said that failure to meet common ground by sport administrators impacts negatively on building a strong case for sport development.
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.