GU to add seven players ahead of CAF campaign
Mqondisi Dube | Thursday June 12, 2025 09:22
The Reds secured a 10th league title after emerging top after a close contest. which saw up to six teams remaining in contention with six rounds remaining. A 4-2 statement win over fellow contenders, Jwaneng Galaxy on the penultimate weekend of the season delivered GU's Holy Grail. Now attention shifts to the Champions League where the Money Machine will be eager to make inroads. Jwaneng Galaxy, Township Rollers and Orapa United have all proved that it is possible to reach the group stages of CAF club competitions, and GU as one of Botswana's leading teams, will be eager to leave a mark this time around. They have fallen agonisingly close to reaching the money-spinning group stages in the past, which has included claiming the scalp of South Africa's top side, Orlando Pirates.
GU director, Nicholas Zakhem said preparations for the Champions League will gather pace in the coming weeks, with the addition of seven new players once the transfer window opens. 'We will be adding seven players. In principle, all the players in the first 15 are either having a running contract or now have signed a pre-contract hence I am saying we are looking for a maximum seven. We have identified four so far and agreed on terms. We are waiting for the transfer window to open. So I can say we are almost there with our target,' Zakhem said. 'We are starting our training earlier and we have also secured a few (friendly) games across various borders. We will monitor the situation as time progresses,' he added. GU has been linked with exciting TAFIC midfielder, Manda Nongo, who was recently voted the Players' Player of the Season at the FNB Premiership awards held last week on Wednesday. Meanwhile, GU faces the National Stadium dilemma like their predecessor, Jwaneng Galaxy who were forced to play their group stage matches in Francistown, as there is no CAF-approved facility in the south.
However, the National Stadium is fit to host preliminary round matches, but it will be a challenge for the Reds if they progress to the group stages. Zakhem is concerned the stadium is taking long to meet CAF standards. 'We will definitely engage them (Botswana National Sport Commission). The unfortunate part is that it is not clear what is holding progress to correct what is needed to be done,' he said. 'As I see it, it is not a big thing in terms of time and money. Remember that our new field track took four months to complete and competition (Grand Prix) was held. I wonder why the CAF requirements were not attended to at the same time,' Zakhem further said.