Invigorated Gunners eye silverware
Boitumelo Khutsafalo | Thursday June 19, 2014 15:09
Gunners’ chairperson, Kitso Dlamini told a media briefing on Tuesday that they are going for trophies next season following backing from the Cassim Dada and Rashid Chopdat families.
The coach, Dragojlo Stanojlovic has already been made aware of the target. “We have already told him that we will do anything to support him to get us the championship,” Dlamini told journalists.
With the financial situation improving, Gunners are expected to beef up their squad ahead of the new season. They have reportedly signed exciting midfielder, Topo Piet from Nico United. The player has been in demand with several big guns chasing his signature as Nico tried to hung on to him.
Dlamini stated that the Lobatse Town Council has assured them of the availability of their stadium. Gunners will now train at the facility twice a week from next season.
They have also been encouraged to develop the current field they use as a training ground. Before they tied the deal with Dada and Chopdat families, Gunners were in talks with Garoush Ghodrati, but the negotiations collapsed at the last minute. Dlamini said they were waiting for Ghodrati to sign the partnership contract but he never pitched up. “We did not tell him that we were also talking to other people.
After the deal fell through, we reached an agreement with Dada and Chopdat families on this partnership,” he explained. He said there is no chance of reviving any talks with Ghodrati as they do not want to cause confusion.
Dada promised the Gunners that if they show that in the first 12 months they can use the money wisely and account for it, more will be come. “Whatever the profits we make, it goes straight to the club. This means that if we make P2 million profit, the club would have got a total of P4 million in one season,” Chopdat explained.
The deal has been hailed by Lobatse MP, Nehemiah Modubule who said they were all worried when Gunners was not doing well. He said they tried to speak to people who can assist and some demanded that club moves from its spiritual home of Lobatse to Gaborone. “We were not comfortable with the arrangement because this is a Lobatse club and should remain so,” he said. He said the loss of key players due to lack of resources would be a thing of the past at the club. He hopes that Gunners technical sponsors, All Kasi will renew their contract, which ends in November.