Some supporters say dismissed Zimbabwean coach, Clever Hunda was used as a scapegoat by officials who are messing up the team. They pointed out that the committee was not giving the coach the necessary support and that was why he seemed to have been failing. Insiders say all is not well in the club and some officials are not on talking terms.
A source close to the club said at one stage, two officials argued in front of players and nearly exchanged blows. Gunners’ Public Relations Officer (PRO), Lesego Koketso conceded that the club is facing problems but he refused to say whether officials are divided. “The root cause of the problem is that the players are not happy. Things should not be hidden,” he declared. He said they have not fulfilled promises made to players due to limited resources. Koketso said they have a huge squad, which is overwhelming their resources. Some players reside in places like Digawana, Moshupa and Gaborone and need transport to come for training. He indicated that most of their players are not employed and as a result, they need allowances. Koketso confirmed that players boycotted training last week. The Gunners official is optimistic that things will improve over time as they are trying to address the situation. “It affects the players’ performance if you don’t deliver your promises,” he said.
He asserted that during their game with Gaborone United, the players’ fitness was not up to scratch. Koketso revealed that they intend to reduce the size of the squad. “We are moving fast to down size the squad. Even big companies retrench staff when things go wrong. Once we have managed to reduce the squad, we will sign contracts with the remaining players. After the reduction has been done, the welfare aspect will have been addressed. Once players are happy, there will be results. It will take time to achieve the results but we know what kind of quality we are looking for. We have been in office for three months and we are beginning to learn the ropes.” Koketso added that they will hold a strategic planning workshop in January to map the way forward for the club.
Meanwhile, Gunners intend to recruit a new coach soon. The unnamed coach was recently in the country to seal a deal with the club. He watched some of Gunners’ recent games. Koketso said the coach is from a struggling Zambian club, which has been evading relegation like Gunners.
In another development, the Gunners’ spokesman complained that one referee officiated in seven of their games. He said referees are human and at the end of the day, they might hold their own views or even prejudices about teams. Hence, it is not healthy that one official should always be officiating in games that feature a certain club only.
Koketso feels that referees might have a grudge against Gunners after one of them was assaulted by Gunners’ supporters last season. The Gunners’ spokesman said while their club was punished for the incident, other teams have escaped sanction. The Gunners’ official intends to write to the Botswana Football Association (BFA) to complain.
