CAF requirements rule out Piro, Seabo

Mqondisi Dube | Friday September 11, 2026 10:26

Seabo has also been part of the set-up, and the two travelled with the Zebras to the Africa Cup of Nations finals held in Morocco in December. Despite their valuable exposure, however, the two will not be considered, even on an interim basis, after Ramoreboli quit the Zebras job to return to his native South Africa. Ramoreboli is set to take up a position as Pitso Mosimane’s assistant with Bafana Bafana. This has left a void that the Botswana Football Association (BFA) has to fill timeously, with the Zebras set to go into camp on Sunday to prepare for their upcoming AFCON qualifiers against Libya and Tunisia. Acting BFA CEO, Bathusi Rathari said the technical committee, headed by Tico Kamati, was seized with the matter. The committee, which also includes Zebras legend Diphetogo Selolwane, Dr Daniel Tau and Mlungisi Kopi, met yesterday to deliberate on the matter.

“The requirements are very clear that whether it’s on an interim basis or not, no one can sit on the bench from Under-17 going up without a CAF A Licence. They must have a CAF A Licence,” he said. According to a CAF circular to all member associations dated May 4, 2025, all national team coaches should be in possession of a CAF A or Pro Licence. “Coaches with valid contracts who do not possess the required licence, and who were contracted before the introduction of the New CAF Coaching Requirements, will have two football seasons (2025–2026 and 2026–2027) to meet the certification requirements,” the circular reads in part. Rathari, however, did not rule out the possibility of both assistant coaches retaining their positions in the new shake-up. “I believe the technical committee is totally independent. There are instances where the NEC will prefer someone, but the committee makes a recommendation.

They made recommendations on the recent junior national team appointments, and the NEC made adjustments, but in the end there was consensus,” Rathari said. He also clarified why the BFA cannot seek a waiver to elevate either Moloi or Seabo. “We can only do that if we didn’t have enough CAF A Licence holders, but at the moment we have a lot of them,” he said. Tonota FC coach Thaloba ‘Machine’ Nthaga has been mentioned among the frontrunners, with an announcement expected later yesterday (Thursday) or today (Friday). The BFA is reportedly leaning towards appointing a local coach, largely due to budgetary constraints and the belief that there are capable coaches locally.