Rollers to consult on CAF participation
Boitumelo Khutsafalo | Friday May 9, 2014 14:10
One of Rollers’ directors, Jagdish Shah told journalists yesterday that they are yet to decide whether to take part in the continent’s premier club competition. “We will seek advice from the media, BFA and Premier League on how to go about this. As you know, the competition has both positive and negative aspects. It is good for the development of our football but again there is the aspect of finance associated with taking part in this competition,” Shah said. He said they still have time to consult and make an informed decision.
Meanwhile, Shah stated that the secret behind their success this season is that they made sure everyone at the club is happy. “We made sure that no single player had to wait to get his salary or anything they need,” he said. He said they paid bonuses for every win, which motivated everyone to work even harder.
He said it is important to keep players happy at all times and cited goalkeeper, Mwampule Masule as an example. He said Masule has improved tremendously after being labeled mediocre by football commentators. “We also brought in a very good goalkeeper coach (Joseph Maposa) who has played a huge role in turning Masule into a good stopper,” Shah explained. Masule kept 19 clean sheets out of 30 games and is currently part of Peter Butler’s squad at the Zebras.
Despite a bad start to the season, Rollers went on to win the league, beating other giants, BDF XI, Gaborone United (GU) and Mochudi Centre Chiefs for the title. They went 28 games unbeaten to clinch the title. “That is a great achievement.
We lost in the final of the Mascom Top Eight through a penalty shootout but we never lost hope. We had done well despite losing in the final because in the previous edition, we were dumped out in the quarterfinals. This has been a good year for us,” Shah told journalists. He dismissed rumours of a bad relationship between the management and the head coach, Madinda Ndlovu.
He said Ndlovu deserves accolades for his achievement. “I am very proud of what my coach has done. There is no truth in those rumours and we will give him all the support. There was no interference whatsoever in how they drilled the team,” he said. He said when they recruited the coach, they told him how the team struggled even to make it to a top eight finish.
He said the coach did extremely well in his first season and they are all happy about his performance. Shah takes pride in the fact Rollers have about nine players in the national team. Masule, Sekhana Koko, Motsholetsi Sikele, Simisane Mathumo, Leutlwetse Tshireletso, Maano Ditshupo, Obonye Moswate, Kobamelo Kebaikanye and Michael Pepukani are the Rollers men in the Zebras’ squad. The club will parade the be MOBILE Premier League trophy today at the Rail Park Mall.