Zakhem threatens to punish clubs
Kabelo Boranabi - Mqondisi Dube | Monday January 15, 2024 16:00
Only three of the 16 Premier League teams turned up at match venues in Gaborone, Lobatse and in Sowa.
The rest of the clubs decided to heed a message from BFL shareholders under the leadership of Godfrey Ratlhaga to boycott the matches.
Zakhem had ordered that action resume after the festive break, but Ratlhaga issued a statement that there will be no fixtures until further notice.
The shareholders want the Botswana Football Association (BFA) to recognise the resolutions of a meeting held in Palapye on December 16 where Zakhem and board member, Jagdish Shah were removed from the BFL. Despite a call to boycott the weekend action, Gaborone United (GU) showed up at their scheduled encounter against Holy Ghost.
The two teams were to meet at the National Stadium for a league set for a 7pm kick off time. The Reds had done all the pre-match practices and until the referee called off the tie as Holy Ghost failed to show up for the match. Monitor Sport noticed that there were no Botswana Premier League (BPL) or Botswana Football League (BFL) advertising boards.
The match tickets were also not sold prior to the game. Security Systems showed up for their scheduled match against Police XI at the Lobatse Sports Complex. Their opponents did not pitch up and the match was also cancelled. A number of the clubs on Saturday through social media platforms announced that they would not honour the league games.
The list included champions Jwaneng Galaxy, Masitaoka FC, Sua Flamigoes and Township Rollers. VTM FC suffered the biggest loss of the weekend as they travelled all the way to the Sowa Town Council Stadium to take on Flamigoes but were locked outside the venue. The disgruntled clubs resorted to playing friendly matches as Orapa United were in Palapye to face Morupule Wanderers while Matebele FC hosted Pula Roofing FC at The Nest. "The law will take its course. There is no one above the law and the constitution. The majority can only rule by abiding by the law and through due process," a defiant Zakhem said yesterday. "We are not a banana republic," he added. On Friday, the BFA chief executive officer, Mfolo Mfolo wrote to the BFL suggesting that the matter should be referred to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Zurich for resolution.
But by yesterday, Mfolo said there had been no response from the BFL. The BFA president, Maclean Letshwiti, who is out of the country on CAF duties in Ivory Coast where the Africa Cup of Nations finals kicked-off on Saturday, said the BFL stand-off is a huge concern. "The BFL crisis is undoubtedly a concern, and we are actively engaged in addressing the matter through our Arbitration Tribunal. This situation reflects broader challenges within football, and we are continuously working to find sustainable solutions. While challenges exist, our commitment to the improvement and growth of football in our region remains steadfast," he said.
The crisis has drawn in the Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture, which tried to intervene. But it was rebuffed last week, with the BFA citing world governing body, FIFA Statutes which prohibit third party interference in the running of football. The minister, Tumiso Rakgare, has admitted strained relations with the BFA, with a meeting called with the umbrella sports body, the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) to further deliberate on the matter. Ratlhaga said he could not comment on the weekend developments as there is the matter is before a judiciary body. "I cannot speak for BFL at the moment. We have a court case continuing. The board will update on the way forward," he said.