GU aim first time shot at semi-finals in Egypt
Mqondisi Dube | Friday November 7, 2025 11:56
On Wednesday, GU drove to OR Tambo International Airport before flying out to Cairo, determined to leave their names in the history books.
The Red Roses have already made history after becoming the first side to reach the finals of the CAF Champions League.
But they do not want their fairy to end there; they want to further upset the applecart and reach the semi-finals on the first attempt.
GU coach, William 'Raizer' Monene, does not see anything stopping his enthusiastic troops from reaching the last four.
'The team is ready to go and compete. We are heading to Egypt for the first time, and to go to Egypt on its own is a motivation and an achievement. But we are not going there to learn, at Gaborone United we play to win,' he said.
The trainer added his team will be in Egypt to compete as much as learn from their opponents.
'Our first game is against JKT Queens of Tanzania; they are a good side, but to me, they are an average side. It is an average group; anything can happen. Our next game is against TP Mazembe (DRC), the defending champions. I have always played against the defending champions at the COSAFA qualifiers, and I have never had a problem with the champions.
'We have studied Mazembe, and seeing how DRC played against the Mares, it gives us an edge. We could have won our game, and it shows that we have a chance of winning. Our last game is against ASEC Mimosa, and it's tricky as we don't know what to expect. We have watched their footage. It's a team that plays direct football,' Monene said this week.
GU have taken 22 players to Egypt, with three having minor knocks, Kefilwe Tafa and Lesego Radiakanyo. Gaonyadiwe Ontlametse is not fit, but the three travelled with the team and are expected to have recovered in time for the first match on Sunday.
Right back, Goitsemang Tlamma, said the team is ready and the target is progressing to the last four.
'We learnt a lot at the COSAFA Cup and this will help us in Egypt. The teams we played in COSAFA are more or less the same as the ones we will meet at the finals, and we should be able to contain them,' she said.
Team manager, Owe Mmolawa, said the women's team has been a deliberate project at GU, looking at the future of football.
'We decided we could not be left behind. We associate ourselves with progressive thinking in football. Unapologetically, we think we are a progressive side,' he said.
Mmolawa said their progress has not been a fluke, as the graph's rise has been consistent. He said preparations for the tournament have gone very well.
However, he bemoaned the lack of support from the corporate.
'We have not had much support locally. For the first time, a women's team in Botswana qualifies for the CAF Champions League, we have not had that support from the corporates and the relevant stakeholders,' he said.
GU director Nicolas Zakhem was conspicuous by his absence, with Mmolawa indicating that he was unwell.