The brutal fall of Mighty Chiefs
Sport
Mochudi Centre Chiefs is a shadow of its former self, after years of flying high in the Premier League, it was certainly easy for Magosi to fall off those heights at the speed of light. STAFF WRITER MOSIMANEGAPE TSHOSWANE observes that it was bound to happen owing to the identity crisis it suffered.
When Mochudi Centre Chiefs rose to win back to back premier league titles during the unforgettable seasons of 2012-13 and 2013-14, under the tutelage of Zimbabwean mentor Madinda Ndlovu, not even their pessimistic supporters could have anticipated the ruthless fall the club would later experience.
While it is entirely difficult to chronicle the beginning of their downward path, it is crystal clear that a combination of poor administration and misplaced objectives are the reason the club has fallen from the dizzy high ways. It is noted with a disappearing delight that the success of Centre Chiefs in yesteryears was deeply rooted in the partnership hatched with business mogul, Sayed Jamali.
In the same breath it is noted that it was always a case of when, not if, Jamali would part ways with Mochudi Centre Chiefs. The reported troubled affair with Jamali as the major shareholder led him to end the hide and seek games they were playing. He did so, and immediately left the club in a dire state.
Bitter words were exchanged on the side of the Kgatleng giants; Jamali was seen as an able business man who could match the purse of Township Rollers investor, Jagdish Shah and could have achieved more with the Kgatleng giants. While the club‘s prolonged failure to make profit played a ‘telling part’ in the decision he had to make to move forward, the tropical issue these three past seasons, were never been about Jamali and his love lost with Chiefs, but rather about what happened to the Kgatleng giants since the struggle to find common ground with the society gained momentum.
It has been 3 years and the Centre Chiefs story has not changed. Magosi is further plunging into crisis without a competitive team. What falls on its own, is still the indication that Jamali‘s ghost haunts the training grounds and board room decisions of Mochudi Centre Chiefs. It would take a miracle for Chiefs to re unite with Jamali, yet them finding another business mogul for a sponsor is a dream difficult to achieve.
The team’s various attempts to hold society annual general meetings after the departure of Jamali has appeared to have worsened the situation. At some point two centres of power emerged, and all were battling to administer the club. It is not only his absence that has a bearing on Chiefs demise, but also his ability to lure talented players with intriguing wages.
Simply, no one can underestimate the impact he had while at Magosi, and as things stand, it has become virtually impossible for the club to renegotiate with him. But an argument will always go unbounded regarding issues surrounding the management of the team. If Jamali’s effect has definitely been a factor contributing to Chiefs’s growing demise, most of the blame is shouldered by club leaders. A series of mistakes and struggles in letting coaches and players go further throws the Kgatleng giants down a dark path which will be difficult to escape from.
New campaigns have come and gone, all brought with themselves a new beginning. Coach Mike Sithole, the last mentor to win silverware with the club described his season as the most difficult one. But was it? It was indeed disastrous when Pio Paul was hired and expelled as the club assistant coach. Bongani Mafu was also hired to lead the club out of the woods. He could only manage a 7th position. Given the scenario at f the club, it was an acceptable position although he could not complete his mission because promises were broken along the way.
When Mafu reported for duty, little did Magosi know that he was heading for the exit before he could settle. Sooner, the club contacted and convinced Malawian born coach Kinnah Phiri to spearhead the club to redemption. But a month after signing a contract all hell broke loose. He complained that Magosi breached the contract and, as an alternative, asked that his contract be terminated.
They are now 2 points above relegation zone, and when the heart was ripped out of the club when captain and long standing player Lesego Galenamotlhale was sold to Orapa United, all hope for revival is now gone. Worse still, Phiri has since disappeared without trace, and the club is allegedly eyeing either Philemon Makhwengwe or Pio Paul to re- awaken a dying season.
Whether Chiefs took a rewarding decision to give up on Jamali now with BDF XI, the facts are both standing and falling on their own that the business man, although with his own short comings was not a man to lose, and Magosi Still cannot trust their long standing society to lead the club.
Did you know?
Center Chiefs was registered in 1974. Between 1999 and 2003, the club proposed to form an entity known as Mochudi Centre Chiefs Limited (MCCL). The entity was formed by a team of 13 adults who at the time convinced the general membership of the high level transformational elements that needed to be implored to make the club commercially sustainable.
Sport
Butler arrives at GU: Should Piro fear for his job?
The arrival of former Zebras coach Peter James Butler is believed to have unsettled incumbent coach Pontsho Moloi.
While Nicolas Zakhem has denied that the former Zebras head coach could be taking over the reins in the dugout, WeekendSport has established that Pontsho ‘Piro’ Moloi’s contract will end in June.
GU Communication Manager Herbert Letsebe informed this publication yesterday [Friday] that they are still in negotiations with coach Moloi as his contract expires at the end of June. Letsebe stated that the club values Moloi, whom they see as an energetic and ambitious coach with a great future ahead of him.
Nonetheless, the defending premier league champions, Gaborone United, made an official announcement this week that they have appointed the Briton-born gaffer as the new Director of Football at the club. Butler’s main responsibility will be to oversee all the structures at the club, including both the senior and women’s teams.
In 2019, WeekendSport reported that Butler, who is a close friend of Zakhem, was seriously considering joining GU as the technical director.
When speaking to the Gaborone United media team this week, Butler said: “I never stop learning; I am always looking to learn. If I can help him (Pontsho) become a better coach, a better person, if I can help him one day to go on and represent the country at the national team level, great, that would be wonderful.”
“I am not here to take his job; I can categorically state that. I am here to help Pontsho Moloi. I have always said that I wouldn’t come back and coach here at the domestic level, but I would coach in a more director development sense. He (Pontsho Moloi) has a lot of positives. He has areas where he needs to work on. If I can help him brush up in those areas, great stuff.”
Furthermore, the club director Zakhem announced restructuring changes within the technical team in February, elevating Moloi to the role of head coach while Benny Kgomela was redeployed to the position of General Manager (Technical), with his main role being to oversee issues relating to the senior team, ladies team, developmental sides, and other technical matters of the teams.
Kgomela, who joined Moyagoleele in August 2022 on a one-year contract, will also will leave the club at the end of this month. Kgomela will follow the path of former Head Coach Innocent Morapedi, who parted ways with The Reds this week.
However, investigations by this publication depict a trend in which coaches who are usually appointed as Technical Directors are elevated to the head coach positions, pushing out the current head coach at the time.
Normally, when that time comes, a common theme of “parted ways amicably with our coach with immediate effect” becomes the norm for premier clubs, with the reasons for such changes not known as they are not normally revealed to third parties.
In 2021, Orapa United Football Club brought in Philemon Makhwengwe as a Technical Director with responsibilities including collaborating with the head office to provide technical input, improving the youth structures, developing an improved youth football syllabus, mentoring upcoming coaches, leading the team into CAF club competitions, talent identification, evaluation mechanisms, and superior strategic thinking for team design and devising future plans.
Da Phil, as he is affectionately known, was later appointed as the head coach of the club.
Meanwhile, The Reds have so far lost two games in the current season, the same number of losses they suffered last year. GU’s chances of defending the title they won after 13 seasons are now slim, as they trail Jwaneng Galaxy by five points with only two rounds to play.
Based on this, it remains to be seen if Coach Piro will be at the helm of the plum post when the 2023/2024 football season starts in August.
Sport
Ditlhokwe begins new era at Kaizer chiefs
Botswana International, Thatayaone Ditlhokwe, donned the Supersport United jersey for the last time when they lost 1-0 to Sekhukhune United this past weekend.
During the transfer window, the 24-year-old lanky defender signed a pre-contract with the Soweto giants, Kaizer Chiefs, and he is set to start his new lease of life on the 1st of July 2023.
‘TT,’ as he is affectionately known, was introduced to South African football back in 2019 when Supersport United secured his services for a period of three years from Gaborone United. The young lad never looked back as he instantly broke into the starting eleven and quickly became one of the trusted members of the squad.
In the 2022/23 campaign, the Gulubane-born player played 2286 minutes, scored two times, and collected five yellow cards, which is fair for a defender of his calibre.
Still in this campaign, United missed the chance to play in the CAF Confederations Cup as they finished 3rd in the league. Prior to that, they were knocked out by Dondol Stars (2-1) in the Nedbank Cup round of 32.
Meanwhile, Amakhosi had a season to forget as they recorded mixed results, which were caused by a number of factors, including the lack of a well-structured defence, thus affecting their results.
Back in January 2023, Chiefs were hammered 4-0 by Amazulu as their defence was found ailing all the time, raising questions about whether the local lad could be the answer to their defensive woes.
Amakhosi’s central defense boasts players such as Zitha Kwinika, Edmilson Dove, Njabulo Ngcobo, Austin Dube, and Siyabonga Ngezana. Eric Mathoho will leave the club after 11 years.
In this tough aforementioned competition, TT will be looking to use the experience he gained at United to try and cement his place in the team, as he was sometimes used at left-back because of his versatility.
Additionally, being the captain of the Botswana National football team for the past three years will also come in handy as Chiefs will be gunning for every trophy on offer in the coming season, hence there will be high pressure and competition for places in the team.
In an interview with this publication, football analyst Thato Kgosimore said Ditlhokwe’s stay at Supersport United was successful as he managed to attract interest from one of the biggest clubs in the country.
“Ditlhokwe’s stay at Supersport United was commendable. He arrived and cemented a place in the starting eleven and was also amongst the leaders in the team, which helped excel in his role in the national team,” Kgosimore said.
“Furthermore, he will be joining Chiefs in the coming months, and I expect him to continue where he left off at Supersport United, regardless of the pressure that comes with playing for Chiefs.”
Kgosimore added that Chiefs is a big team and a great platform for Ditlhokwe to even go to Europe.
“Chiefs is a big team, and Ditlhokwe stands a better chance of plying his trade in Europe. However, that will be determined by his level of commitment and consistency at his new club, which I believe he will do diligently. I wish him all the best of luck,” added Kgosimore.
Meanwhile, Ditlhokwe told Sowetanlive that being a captain of the Botswana national team has prepared him to deal with any kind of football-related pressure.
“I have captained my national team at the age of 21 so I don’t think there’s any pressure that can [surpass] what I have been already through,” Ditlhokwe said during SuperSport’s 2022-23 awards ceremony on Monday.
“It’s just a normal challenge that every player can face. There’s no player that can grow without challenges — you need to be tested. “It’s a big test, I know but at the end of the day the same way I managed before is the same way I’m going to manage [at Chiefs].”
News
Local tennis team upbeat ahead of Billie Jean King cup
With almost two weeks until the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup, which will be staged in Kenya from June 12-17, 2023, the Botswana Tennis Association (BTA) ladies’ team coach, Ernest Seleke, is optimistic about reaching greater heights.
Billie Jean King Cup, or the BJK Cup, is a premier international team competition in women’s tennis, launched as the Federation Cup to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The BJK Cup is the world’s largest annual women’s international team sports competition in terms of the number of nations that compete.
The finals will feature 12 teams (Botswana, Burundi, Ghana, Kenya, Seychelles, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Tunisia, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, and the Democratic Republic of Congo) competing in the four round-robin groups of three. The four group winners will qualify for the semifinals, and the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup will be crowned after the completion of the knockout phase.
Closer to home, the BW Tennis team is comprised of Thato Madikwe, Leungo Monnayoo, Chelsea Chakanyuka, and Kelebogile Monnayoo. However, according to Seleke, they have not assembled the team yet as some of the players are still engaged.
“At the moment, we are depending on the players and their respective coaches in terms of training. However, I will meet up with Botswana-based players in the coming week, while the United States of America (USA) based player Madikwe will probably meet us in Kenya. Furthermore, Ekua Youri and Naledi Raguin, who are based in Spain and France respectively, will not be joining us as they will be writing their examinations,” said Seleke.
Seleke further highlighted the significance of this competition and how competitive it is. “It is a massive platform for our players to showcase their talent in tennis, and it is very competitive as countries target to get promoted to the world categories where they get to face big nations such as Spain, France, USA, and Italy. Though we are going to this tournament as underdogs because it is our second time participating, I’m confident that the girls will put in a good showing and emerge with results despite the odds,” highlighted Seleke.
Quizzed about their debut performance at the BJK Cup, he said, “I think our performance was fair considering the fact that we were newbies. We came third in our group after losing to North Macedonia and South Africa. We went on to beat Uganda, then Kenya in the playoffs. Unfortunately, we couldn’t play Burundi due to heavy rainfall and settled for the position 9/10,” he said.
For her part, team representative Leungo Monnayoo said they are working hard as they aim to do well at the tourney. “The preparations for the tourney have long begun because we practice each and every day. We want to do well, hence we need to be motivated. Furthermore, I believe in my team as we have set ourselves a big target of coming home with the trophy,” she said.