Shah forays kick in
Sport
Botswana Premier League (BPL) board of governors is expected to effect immediate changes to some of policies and operational manuals that oversee its daily operations. This comes on the back of Jagdish Shah’s arrival as the chairman of the league board. Shah is also the president of Township Rollers.
Top of the agenda, WeekendSport has learnt is that the board wants to generate as much income as it can possibly do for premier league clubs. It is indicated that many elite clubs are struggling to make ends meet, such that some of the clubs fail to pay for players’ welfare.
The board met for the first time under the stewardship of Shah last week Saturday to extensively discuss issues that have wrong footed the league in the past. Sources told this publication that the league is trying to make strides particularly on the stadium levy matter.
As things stand, premier league teams are encouraged, through club licensing requirement, to pay 25% of gate takings to the Botswana National Sports Commission (BNSC) as a stadium levy. The board says the 25 percent levy is draining the teams and are instead proposing to pay a lump sum fee to the sports commission for the entire season. Shah told the press gathering on Tuesday this week that, “the board is considering paying a lump sum figure to the sports body for the whole season and consequently dealing away with the 25%.”
WeekendSport has however gathered that the league board is suggesting paying between P1.2 and P1.5 million to the sports commission. Should both parties agree, premier league teams will for the first time recoup 100% as gate takings to further improve players’ lives.
Should the move see the light of the day, it will effectively mean that the issue of ticketing solely becomes the responsibility of premier league teams, and not the premier league board as it has been the case.
The negotiations, once agreed upon, will reverse and repel, to a certain degree, BNSC’s total recommendation of e-ticketing. The commission advocated for the use of an e-ticketing system that it will facilitate speedy reconciliation when payment is done. BNSC wrote sometimes last year through their former Business Development Director Thato Kgosimore, acknowledging the receipt of request from BPL teams to use the different stadia to host home games for official games.
The Sports commission said e-ticketing through the standardized club licensing would see the system facilitating speedy payment settlement and curb delayed and/or failure to remits funds. The sports body had observed with misgivings, that over the past years, the BPL clubs have been failing to pay their required share after using the stadia.
The umbrella body for all other sports codes was unrelenting on this matter of payment and said it was high time they enforce laws. Part of the letter read, “BNSC is willing to sign contracts with the BPL teams for the use of the stadia for the 2017/18 season. The commission insists on the use of an e-ticketing system.” However, this may be revisited owing to the impeding changes the league aspires to install.
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.