The ‘Mares’ off to Morocco
Sport
The Mares, the senior women football team, will depart for Morocco on Sunday to participate in the African Women’s Cup of Nations (AFWON). The tournament will be held from July 4 to 23 in Morocco.
The Mares’s qualification which occurred 10 years after a similar feat by their male counterparts will begin the tournament by facing fellow debutants Burundi on the 4th of July followed group favorites Nigeria on the 7th then lastly our fellow neighbours South Africa on the 10th July.
According to Monnakgotla Mojaki, who is Botswana Football Association (BFA) General Manager, “The team was initially scheduled to leave today (Saturday) and set up the last training camp in Tunisia and play two friendly international games and depart to Morocco on the 28th July.”
The team will conduct its last training camp in Marrakech, the fourth largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco which is about 322.9 km thus 3 hrs. 25 min from Rabat where they will be based when the tournament starts. Mojaki revealed that the plan was to arrive in Morocco four days before the start of the tournament since the first game is on the 4th of July when they lock horns with Burundi.
BFA General Manager said their plan had to change because the biggest labor union in Tunisia announced a strike hence the association took a decision not to risk by taking a team to Tunisia. “With a strike that has been announced by the biggest union in Tunisia, as the association we are not quite sure when the strike will end, not sure of the consequences of the strike,” he alluded.
“Part of the our program which could have been affected by the strike was the flights into Tunisia as we were only be able to fly to Doha or Rome hence it was going to be difficult to descent to Tunisia because you had to connect with local Airlines.”
For her part, the Mares head coach Gaolethoo Nkutlwisang said she was happy with the preparation for the tournament as there is a sense of confidence in the squad further revealing that the ultimate goal is to compete. “We are going to perform to Morocco, if we don’t it will be the external factors which will be beyond us as a team,” she said in press briefing.
Coach Nkutlwisang said there is a chance for the team to qualify for the World Cup provided if they work hard to earn the desired results also noting that they are going to learn so that they come home as a better team. Meanwhile the semifinalist for the tournament will advance automatically to the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next year, with another two to enter the continental play-offs.
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
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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.