Football chaos strikes again
Mqondisi Dube | Tuesday July 14, 2026 10:28
The Lekidi Centre tremors will have stakeholders in panic, casting doubts over the start of the new season, and critically, the holding of a mandatory annual general meeting (AGM) in two weeks time.
Last year around the same time, there was chaos in Palapye when the BFL held its AGM. The script has not changed again this year. Local football needs to take a long, hard look in the mirror as the latest round of shenanigans continues to tarnish the game's reputation.
One former football executive suggested that the country needs a two-year suspension from international football activities in order to clean the mess. He cited the case of Zimbabwe which faced a FIFA ban but appears on the road to recovery with positive club football investments.
But it all starts with the football people themselves. What exactly do they want? They appear to thrive in chaos which has become their middle name.
The situation cannot be normalised, something is wrong and decisive action must be taken, otherwise these perennial ego and turf wars will persist.
How did the BFL find itself staring at a reported P3.6 million deficit? Even more concerning are reports that the Botswana Football Association (BFA) has had to step in and pay the league secretariat's salaries in recent months. If those reports are accurate, what does that say about the financial health and governance of an organisation that fought so hard for autonomy? More importantly, how sustainable is such an arrangement? The BFL's independence was meant to usher in professionalism, commercial growth and better governance. Instead, the league now finds itself battling financial uncertainty and recurring administrative turmoil.
At some point, difficult questions have to be asked about whether the current leadership has lived up to that promise, or whether, as the old saying goes, the fish is rotting from the head.
More concerning is the deafening silence that has followed the events of the weekend. Saturday evening came and went, then Sunday, and by Monday morning neither the BFA nor the BFL had issued a public statement explaining what transpired at the Lekidi Centre meeting or outlining the way forward.
Such silence only fuels speculation, misinformation and uncertainty at a time when stakeholders deserve clarity.
The football community is entitled to reassurance from the leadership about the state of the league and its immediate future. Transparency is not optional during moments of crisis. The longer the leadership remains silent, the more confidence it risks eroding.
Folding its hands while the crisis unfolds is simply not an option. What is needed now is decisive leadership and a clear roadmap for restoring stability and credibility to the BFL.