Madinda attracts Zim FA interest?
Sport
Madinda's contract with Rollers left with five months
Township Rollers coach; Madinda Ndlovu may find it hard to resist a serious offer to become Zimbabwe's new national team coach. However, the Zimbabwe Football Association could lose the opportunity to pin the supporters' choice of coach if his current club dangles a better carrot.
The Zimbabwean Federation are yet to contact Madinda directly about the position in the aftermath of Ian Gorowe’s failure to qualify for AFCON 2015 and subsequent resignation. Though a number of individuals claiming to represent the governing body have enquired about Madinda to lobbying for his interest in the position, nothing concrete is on the table.
Madinda is believed to be waiting for senior members of the FA hierarchy to make direct contact with him. The Zimbabwean has resolved to say nothing publicly until he knows the FA's intentions. He could, however, be disappointed if there is no approach, reports further say because he wants to elevate his coaching career to national team level.
He has had relatively successful stints with Highlanders and Warriors in Zimbabwe.
In Botswana he has won league titles with two big clubs, and currently on the verge of attaining A license coaching certificate, Madinda stock, without doubt, has risen. He has five months left in his Rollers contract but club Chief financier, Jagdish Shah believes they will open talks with him once the season comes to a close. “Yes we are aware that his contract is coming to an end, but it does not worry us because we still have to sit down and negotiate,” he said.
However reports indicate that Madinda believes he could extract the best from the Zimbabwean squad regularly labelled African-class despite rarely delivering performances to match the status. He has also worked with few Zimbabwean players at both Mochudi Centre Chiefs and Rollers. The gaffer is said to be confident that his preparatory methods and tactical intelligence would have an immediate impact.
Though he has labelled international coaching 'an old man's job', saying that he would not consider it until the end of his career, Madinda regards his native country as an exceptional case. “It's special because it is his country,' said one of his closest confidants.
“Normally you go to international football when you are older, but with Zimbabwe there is a different motivation, different players. It is a special country with a special culture of football. He would welcome the chance to speak to the FA about this job.”
The Zimbabwean national team was disbanded late last year, a couple of days after Ian Gorowa resigned. The FA decided to give junior side more attention to effectively make them the nucleus of the senior team.
Madinda Ndlovu who is expected in the country on February 9th has twice won premier league title with Mochudi Centre Chiefs. He left the club under a cloud to cross to rivals Township Rollers. At the first time of asking in 2013-14 at Rollers, Ndlovu remarkably won the league with them.
As things stand, his team tops the league standings as they are seeking to defend the title. He is expected to steward them through the CAF competition where much weight is thrown behind the impeding Kaizer Chiefs tie. He will be surely under scrutiny. Township Rollers club secretary, Khumo Masonya said “we are not aware of the reports linking him with Zimbabwe head coach; all we know is that he is attaining a coach license.”
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.