Take a red bow for GU
Mqondisi Dube | Wednesday September 3, 2025 09:29
The GU women's team are the newly minted regional champions, completing a hugely successful year for the club after the men's side took domestic honours in the FNB Premiership.
The female Reds are without competition locally as they cruised to the title without raising a sweat.
GU serves as an enduring testimony of what resilience and hard work can yield. A club that was wandering aimlessly in the woods seven years ago, has decisively turned the corner to become an embodiment of professionalism on and off the pitch.
GU survived a troubled past that almost reduced them to a rubble largely due to a looming FIFA ban over a payment dispute with former player, Appiah Bismark.
It all seemed bleak then before the club turned to Nicholas Zakhem who had briefly stepped back. Zakhem took full control and GU's path took a positive trajectory.
In a space of seven seasons, GU has emerged as one of the most dominant forces on the men and women's front. The roadmap has been clear and it all points to a meticulous strategy aimed at exerting influence beyond borders.
One of GU and the country's most significant moments was delivered at the UJ AW Muller Stadium on Sunday when the Reds' women side was crowned the champions of the region.
It is the first ever significant trophy at both club and national team level and is a statement win as Botswana's women football has been on the rise. In particular Zakhem, a man often vilified despite his shoulder on the wheel approach to football administration, will feel vindicated.
He has poured his all to the GU project, making sure the team is one of the best run sides in a sink-or-swim local football environment where other sides struggle for breath.
The empire that has been built at GU should stand as an inspiration to many who run clubs or aspire to do so.
GU has remained a calming influence, a beacon of hope and a model of professionalism for many local clubs. After conquering the COSAFA region, GU's women side now head to the continental qualifiers which should expose the team to more intense and valuable competition.
The only worry is that GU appears to be out of competition in the domestic league and that could affect their competitiveness. And as the Zebras head to back-to-back World Cup qualifiers this week, the team should look no further than GU women's team for inspiration.
GU's golden moment serves as a powerful testament of the strides that Botswana football has made over the years; a moment that deserves loud cheers from across the football spectrum regardless of affiliation.