Scara breaks the silence

| Friday January 23, 2009 00:00

 

Mmegi: Since retiring from active football, we have not heard much of you Scara, what are you up to these days?

Kebalepile: (smiles) I am currently the coach at Maletamotse, which is campaigning in the Southern District Division One, and we play as far as Jwaneng. I have been involved with the team for two years now and I also take care of the development sides. I am also taking care of the junior sides in the team because I believe that they can help us in the future if there is need.

Mmegi: What made you to go into coaching because normally talented players never want to get involved in football once they have retired?

Kebalepile: I did it because most of the youngsters and parents came asking me to get involved in the game. After a bit of thinking,  I thought that it is important that I give back what I learnt during my career. It was also easy to come to a decision since I had attended some coaching courses.

Mmegi: What is the difference between being a player and coach from your experience so far?

Kebalepile: It is very difficult to be a coach because you have to lead by example. It is difficult here (Maletamotse) because at times some players do not have training equipment and I have to run around and organise that for them. At times I get help from Center Chiefs' players like Pontsho Moloi and Noah Maposa who have been very helpful. If we had sponsors, I would not be worrying about such things but because of the love of the game, I have to soldier on.

Mmegi: Back in the years, Maletamotse used to be a force to reckon with and produced some of the finest talents to come out of Lobatse. Of late, we have not heard a lot about them, what is the story there?

Kebalepile: The talent is there and everything but the thing is that we need financial assistance to take the team to at least First Division. If we had money, believe me it won't take me long to be back where the team belongs. At the moment, we do get some help from businessmen like Themba Joina, Mosinki Mpuane and Molefi Kakunzi and though we appreciate their help, it is not enough as running football is costly. The other problem is that we play in open grounds and we cannot make any revenue. Right now we want to sign players but we do not have enough funds.

Mmegi: Back to your playing days, you were considered as one of the best and entertaining left-backs. What made you so special?

Kebalepile: There was a guy called Elias Hotane who happened to be my neighbour in Litchenburg, South Africa and he used to take me to their training sessions and games.

He was a great talent and taught me that football is not all about playing but entertainment. The other thing is that I was gifted and never doubted my abilities. I used to dream doing some tricks and would wake up in the middle of the night. When I got to the ground the following day, I would try to do what I saw in the dreams. That is how I was and it worked for me.

Mmegi: Some people have alluded to the fact that though you were talented, you were not strong defensively. Do you agree and if so, how did you manage not to let opponents expose you?

Kebalepile: I cannot agree with them more. I knew that I was not one of the best when it comes to defending but I used my mind not to let opponents expose me. I had studied most of the wingers in the country and knew how to get on top of them. That is why you never saw me struggling.

Mmegi: You were part of the Gunners' side which used to terrorise opponents in the 90s before leaving to join Notwane in 1994. What made Mapantsula click at the time?

Kebalepile: Gunners had a very strong management at the time which knew that the happiness of players in football comes first. If you have a sound management, things will go well for you because the players will deliver. At the time, Gunners' management acted like parents and you could hardly see them in bars, they knew what was good for them to achieve big things. The other thing is that the players were united and encouraged each other for the better of the team. In the mornings, we used to go jogging on our own without supervision because we wanted to die on the field of play for Gunners. We were not paid big salaries but we knew that we had a responsibility of representing Gunners.

Mmegi: During those years, Gunners used to attract a huge following when they were playing, these days it is a different story. What needs to be done to bring those Gunners' supporters back to the stadiums?

Kebalepile: Believe me, I have met a number of Gunners' supporters and they have no confidence in this team anymore. We need respectable people in the mould of Rashid Chopdat to run Gunners and the supporters will come back. We want people who understand the welfare of players not who are there to serve their own interests.

Mmegi: You played under a number of coaches during your playing time and who had great influence in your career?

Kebalepile: I would say it is Kenny Mwape because it was under his guidance that I excelled and won league championships from 1991 to 1993. I won the President Day Cup in 1989, Coca-Cola Cup in 1992 and Barclays Cup in 1994 under him. My individual performance was also recognised in 1991 when I was voted the most improved player and the most disciplined player in 1992. I achieved all these things because he believed in me and always showed me the right way to live as a footballer.

Mmegi: During your time, Gunners and other Super League sides used to recruit brilliant foreign players who added value to our game. But these days, that thing has changed and foreigners come here and spend most of the time on the bench and stands. What could be the problem?

Kebalepile: The standard of recruiting players has gone down. Our clubs recruit names and some of the foreign players playing here you tend to wonder why were they brought here in the first place because they are bad. Some of them have not even played football at a higher level and can come here and lie to us. Even the coaches who are brought to Botswana are not special in any way but we see our teams employing them. We need to start setting standards to get rid of some of the undesirables who come here.

Mmegi: The current squad has blown hot and cold already this season. According to you, what is lacking at Gunners which is needed to bring the glory days back?

Kebalepile: Like I said earlier on, we need to start changing things at the top (management). Gunners still need some quality players because in the current squad, there are two or three exceptional players. Gunners have to get rid of this thing of relying too much on inexperienced players because they come cheap. When buying, you need to get players who will be committed to the cause of the team not those who will be there for money. They have to get players who would not criticise others openly in the bars after games because it is not good. There is need to develop young players and who would be guided by former players who the youngsters will look up to.

Mmegi: Daniel 'Chicco' Nare is at the helm of the team, do you believe that he can change the fortunes of Gunners around?

Kebalepile: I believe that Chicco is still young and still has to learn more about this game. Having said that, we need a mature coach so that Chicco can learn from him just like it was the case during his times at Township Rollers and Centre Chiefs. I know him and my belief is that he can become a better coach in the next years after learning from better equipped coaches. One thing which some of the upcoming coaches do not understand is that it takes time to become a coach. Even me, I still have a lot to learn.

Mmegi: BMC have assembled one of the strongest sides in the league, some people have even pointed out that they might soon overshadow Gunners and become the favourites in Lobatse. What is your take on the issue?

Kebalepile: I agree with those people because BMC have improved tremendously over the years and their players work hard. Already BMC have an upper hand when it comes to management side and the good thing is that I go around Lobatse a lot and you can never hear BMC internal matters discussed in bars or other public areas. That goes to show that they have right people who are running the team. Gunners must stop relying too much on the past history and build again.

Mmegi: Last weekend, BMC outplayed Gunners in Lobatse derby at the UB Stadium. Having watched the game, what were your impressions?

Kebalepile: Gunners came into the game without a game plan. They have even won the game before it was played, something which worked against them. You could see that BMC players were more committed and I liked the way they recovered after losing possession. It was awesome watching BMC and if their players remain level-headed, they are heading for bigger things. Gunners gape e tlogele go tshepa melemo thata ba tshameke bolo (Gunners should stop depending too much on juju and play football).

Mmegi: You once played for Notwane and won the Coca-Cola Cup with the side in 1995 and 1997. How was the atmosphere there as compared to what you were used to at Gunners?

Kebalepile: When I got there, Paul Moyo (Notwane coach) has been told that I was indisciplined and he pointed out that to me. He even gave me the captain's armband and I used it to my advantage. When I got there, the late Madonsela (Ngaka) showed confidence in me and even the youngsters like Phazha (Butale) respected me.

Mmegi: During the Coca-Cola Cup final against Mokgosi Young Fighters in 1997, you scored one of the beautiful goals in the cup history from the halfway line. The goal embarrassed the goalkeeper Steven Sebekiri, can you take us through the goal?

Kebalepile: If you remember, during my days I enjoyed overlapping a lot and sending in crosses for the likes of Madonsela in the box. On the day, Mokgosi goalkeeper kept complaining to his teammates that they were giving me too much room. So when I scored that goal, I realised that he (goalkeeper) anticipated that I was going to cross the ball and he was off his line. That is when I went for goal. I did not want to cross the ball as many people thought and that is why I celebrated it before it went in.

Mmegi: You also had a brief stay at Mochudi Centre Chiefs in 1999. What happened there?

Kebalepile: I did not enjoy my stay there because I was brought in by coach Shepherd Murape and he did not stay long because he got an offer in South Africa. Then came Ezekiel Mooki who showed from the onset that he did not like me. I do not know if he was uncomfortable with me because he did not even provide answers to Bakgatla when they asked why I was not fielded. I was frustrated that I even wanted to retire but Gunners' people asked me to come back 'home' and I ended up retiring there in 2001.

Mmegi: You also played for the national team and how can you summarise your stay at the Zebras?

Kebalepile: I had mixed fortunes during my days in the national team. Though I cannot remember the year, my first camp was against Mauritius but did not feature in the game because of an ankle injury. I last played for the Zebras when we were hammered 6-0 by Ivory Coast away and could not continue playing for the national team without good incentives and that is why I had to quit.

Mmegi: Is there any talented player locally who you enjoy watching and why?

Kebalepile: Yes, it has to be Pontsho Moloi because the boy has improved over the years especially after joining Chiefs. Even though at times he gets frustrated when decisions are not going his way, he always produces a moment of brilliance which proves vital for his team. He is a winner and uses his skill to his advantage.

Mmegi: Which side(s) stands a better chance of winning the P1m at stake in the Premier League?

Kebalepile: I am looking at Centre Chiefs because they have a quality team which is supported by a strong management. The good thing is that they can win two or three games in a row, something which does not happen regularly in our teams. Gaborone United also stand a chance because they have improved a lot over the last two years. BMC have an outside chance but they could do it.

Mmegi: Lastly, what are your ambitions as far as coaching is concerned?

Kebalepile: I would like to continue coaching but the problem is that BFA (Botswana Football Association) is not interested in developing some of us upcoming coaches. It seems they have their own people who they always invite to coaching courses. I am wondering if BFA thinks that we cannot add any value to our game because we want to be given chance