Mares throne: Malete's to claim?
Kabelo Boranabi | Saturday November 18, 2023 06:00
The Botswana Football Association (BFA) this week confirmed Alex Malete as the new Mares' head coach. This is a third change in the Mares' technical team in just two months. It has been a rather delicate period for the team as the Mares played seven games and three competitions.
The changes were however forced to allow former coach, Gaolethoo 'Ronaldo' Nkutlwisang to acquire the requisite coaching qualifications. The BFA remains adamant that Nkutlwisang is still part of the team setup and Malete is tasked with ensuring that the Mares return to the continental spectacle.
Malete replaces Mohambi Saulos who was given the boot last week. Saulos, an unfamiliar face for many in the local football circles had led the Mares in the failed 2024 Olympic Games qualifiers. Despite a promising start with a 10-1 aggregate win over Gabon in the first round of the 2024 WAFCON qualifiers, Mohambi's side was booted out in the group stages on the COSAFA Women's Championship. The Francistown based coach had revealed to Mmegi Sport job struggles that included an aging squad and lack of support ahead of his exit. Malete takes the hot seat as the Mares prepare to take to the field in the final 180 minutes of regulation time in an effort to qualify for the 2024 WAFCON finals. It proves to be a very tricky fixture against a Kenya side that is ranked just a place higher than the Mares in the continental rankings. The Mares lost to Kenya the last encounter between the two sides in the 2016 Olympic Games qualifiers in 2015.
It was a 2-1 win for the the Mares at home who however, lost 1-0 away, to exit the competition on away goal rule. The youthful Malete has however never shied away from any task in the Mares technical team. This is a man whose formative coaching years were mostly in the women's game, where he started off with UB Kicks in 2012. He has spent time with national champions, Double Action while he also had stints with the now defunct, Sharps Shooting Stars and is now the head coach of UB Hawks in the second tier league.
The soft-spoken tactician is a CAF B license holder and is in class for the CAF A license. At a tender age of 29, Malete has won his first international game as he led the Mares to a 1-0 win over Namibia in the 2022 WAFCON qualifiers as he held fort for Nkutlwisang. He has been the Mares' assistant coach for nearly five years now and helped the team reach the WAFCON finals in 2022. It seems to be a cordial technical team as former junior teams' Tapaphiwa Gaebolae and Jacqueline Gaobinelwe have been roped in as assistant coaches.
The pair has trained the Mares' squad either at junior level or club football level as veteran tactician, Odirile 'China' Matlhaku comes in as a technical advisor. The Mares take on Kenya on November 29 away from home and the return leg is at the National Stadium on December 5. It could be Malete's seat to claim should the Mares reach the WAFCON finals.