FA cup: P10 million, 64 Games
Sport
Negotiations between Botswana Football Association (BFA) and another mobile network giant, Orange Botswana as the potential sponsor of the FA cup are now at an advanced stage, WeekendSport has learnt.
This publication has previously reported that the international mobile provider was willing to commit. According to sources, a three year contract is about to be penned down where Orange will be sponsoring the cup at a tune of P30 million-of which P10 million will be used for each season. According to sources, the effective winner will get a slot to participate in the continental showpiece, Confederation of African Football Champions league. This would in essence mean that it will not be the Mascom Top 8 winner who gets to play at that league.
Of the 1 million prize money, the winning team will get 750 000 while 250 000 would be used for the CAF games. A total of 64 games are anticipated to be played. The first batch will see regional football champions playing against each other before the glory moves to first division league teams. The stream is divided into two leagues which are north and south. Each stream has 8 teams, amounting to 16 in total. The First division teams will then be paired against premier league teams as the competition gets even more intense.
The Premier League board has postponed the commencement of the league saying “the reason for the delay is due to t behind the scenes preparations that are still being made in effort to make the league more exciting.” WeekendSport has however learnt that part of the preparations is to add FA cup fixtures to the current season. Coca-Cola is the previous sponsor of the tournament and was pumping 2.2 million pula before it took the throbbing decision to focus the sponsorship on football development. Orange Botswana is the previous sponsor of the senior national team, and having worked with the association before, it is believed that the FA cup that has a larger following will give the company the need and exposure it deserves.
Orange is the third network giant to take up league sponsorship. Already Mascom powers the Top 8 tournament and a local brand, BTC who are the title sponsors of the elite league. The tournament was first held in the summer of 1992 under the brand sponsors, Coca-Cola. Extension Gunners was the first team to win the tournament and Gaborone United, another premier league perennial campaigner, was the last club to take the cup home. However, history records indicate that the tournament was initially played in 1968, by then it was called Lions’ cup. According to records, both Gaborone United and Township Rollers won the tournament on six occasions. No team from lower divisions has ever won it.
During his campaigns, BFA president MacLean Letshwiti was quoted as promising that, ‘‘there will be FA cup soon and sponsors are all over.’’ He reiterated the same words last weekend at the BFA Annual General Assembly without necessarily mentioning the name of the sponsor.
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.