‘Don’t compare me to ‘Ronaldo’
Kabelo Boranabi | Saturday November 4, 2023 06:00
The coach joined the Mares' technical team on an interim basis to allow Nkutlwisang to acquire the requisite coaching badges. A CAF A license is the required qualification and Saulos was to work with Nkutlwisang, who was relegated to the assistant coach's position. In an interview this week, Saulos suggested that Ronaldo has since deserted the team. She was given leave from work by the Botswana Football Association (BFA) to attend a social matter in September and has since been missing from the team's bench.
Saulos told MmegiSport he does not have a contract with the BFA but was asked to step-in between September and December. "I do not have a contract with the BFA. I have been asked to come and assist between September and December. So I came in to assist in this period and to work alongside Ronaldo since she does not have CAF A license. Currently she awaits her CAF B license results and CAF would have not allowed her to sit on the bench," Saulos said. "The idea was to complement my knowledge and her knowledge and experience to move the team forward so that when she comes back and continues with the team, she would have not had a break. There is a misconception that she was fired, and replaced. It is nonsensical because it is not the truth. “People are just failing, even you, the journalists are failing to explain to people why someone was brought in to work with Ronaldo. What you should be asking is, where is she? She was not fired and she is supposed to be with the team, with me and me and her working together. However, I am going to do the best I can to take this team to WAFCON. I will do my best as humanly as I can," Saulos said.
On Tuesday, Saulos watched as the Mares crashed out of the 2024 Olympic Games qualifiers with a 3-0 aggregate loss to Tanzania. He also led the team to a COSAFA Women's Championship group stage exit. However, there is a quantum of solace as Saulos' girls are still in the hunt for a berth in the 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) finals. They take on Kenya in the final qualifying round. The coach said he joined the team late into their preparations and that he inherited an aging squad with an average age of 29 years as compared to his preferred average of 21 years to match the international practices. He said the team needs fresh legs. He added that the team is not given sufficient international exposure as he called for more international friendly games against competitive opponents. Saulos further lashed out on the comparisons with Nkutlwisang, which he said was unfair as he has just less than two months on the job while Nkutlwisang was allowed to build the team for almost decade and a half.
He admitted that the team would need to get used to his philosophy and style of play from the former head coach's. "Ronaldo has been with the team for one and half decades. She has been here for around 15 years working with the team. The players were already used to her philosophy and her style of play. I believe that it is not a question of having someone new coming in. The issue is in terms of our competition, what has other teams been doing which I can safely say the other teams have been developing players and beefing up their squads, looking at their targets so that by this time, they would have fresh legs of young players who can compete," he quizzed. "So I believe it is unfair to compare while I just came in and with a month on the job and being compared to someone who has almost 17 years with the team, it is unfair comparisons and does not add any value," Saulos argued.
After Tuesday's defeat to Tanzania, Saulos met the BFA executive and technical department, although the agenda of the meeting remains unknown. The Mares will return to action on November 27 for an away tie to Kenya. The second leg is to be played on December 4 at home.