The unchecked weevil in soccer

Mmegi Editor | Thursday June 19, 2014 16:22

Inevitably, it has attracted attention from across the spectrum, curiously from a new breed of investors. The League is now viewed as a pot of gold as investors clamber over each other to grab a piece.

Before the be MOBILE deal, one Oscar Kubara arrived on the scene, and while being regarded as a wealthy businessman, he ultimately sold the football fraternity the cheekiest dummy.

Kubara promised to pump P65 million into the local League, making it one of the richest on the continent, but the dream turned into a pie in the sky. Gullible authorities hung on to Kubara’s promise until there was a visible dent on the League programme.

To his credit, Kubara’s dummy might have unintentionally raised the stakes as weeks into the 2008/2009 season, be MOBILE rescued the situation with a P15 million package over three seasons.

Years later, the same scenario played out when another investor who seemingly read from Kubara’s script, entered the scene.

A vulnerable Notwane facing financial challenges allowed Gift Mogapi to take full control of the club. The consequences were dire and it took some laborious processes to terminate the agreement. It emerged that Mogapi was not the Messiah the club was hoping for, with some questioning his credentials. In fact, last season saw a sharp increase in ownership wrangles with BMC at the core. Fast forward to this year, the situation has not improved and if anything it has deteriorated.

Authorities at Lekidi Centre have remained mum, arguing that it is not their business to interfere in specific club issues. Yes, they cannot dictate who should buy a club, but they have abundant powers to direct the process and screen potential owners.

These botched takeovers affect the smooth running of the League and usually drag the name of football, and inevitably, that of BFA through the mud.

The BFA would be best advised to borrow other associations’ leaves, particularly that of the English FA.  In the UK, there are strict guidelines for takeovers and potential investors are properly screened. There are certain requirements to be fulfilled before an interested person can be deemed a club owner. But locally, a free-for-all situation obtains where anyone can wake up and attempt to own a club.

This has presented the Association with all sorts of challenges while raising false hopes for desperate clubs.

The BFA has allowed prospective owners to dictate terms when it is supposed to be the other way round.  Guidelines would make club takeovers much smoother and efficient.

As it stands valuable time is needlessly lost negotiating non-deals that are bound to yield disappointments for clubs. There is need to be vigilant at all times to protect the image of football.

                                                                  Today’s thought

                                                    “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”

 

                                                               –John Philpot Curran

                                                        –Irish lawyer, orator and statesman