TAFIC confident of keeping key players despite demotion
Chakalisa Dube | Thursday June 26, 2014 13:13
Interim TAFIC chairman, Manyika Gwakula told a press briefing on Tuesday at Thapama Hotel that after discussions players that were expected to leave have said they will go down with the club to the First Division. Flanked by interim officials, he said players who have attracted interest from other clubs have assured them that they will not leave.
“Our intension is to make a quick U-turn to the Premier League, which is why we intend to keep most of our players,” he said at the press briefing meant to announce the club’s annual general meeting on Saturday at Adansonia Hotel.
“The club is certain that it will lose one or two players. Ogomoditse Bauleni has already joined BDF XI,” he said.
He said the purpose of the weekend AGM will be to elect a new committee to steer the club into privatisation. “The old company which was registered by the club a few years ago to help steer the club into privatisation has been dissolved because many associated with the club felt it was not transparent. The new committee will be mandated with leading the club into a private entity and run things in a transparent manner,” he said.
He said a name for the new company, which he did not reveal, has been submitted to the Registrar of Companies. “We are just waiting for the new committee to be ushered in then we will submit the name of the directors and the club will begin its privatisation drive,” he explained.
He said investors he did not name have shown interest in partnering with the club in its privatisation bid. The new committee, he added, will be tasked with liaising with those intending to partner with the team. Gwakula said the other purpose of the weekend indaba would be to bring to an end infighting at the club. “Despite our popularity around the country, we have been failing to attract sponsors due to the infighting at the club,” he said. Under the privatisation initiative, TAFIC aims to generate income through various activities to sustain its operations. The club was condemned to the First Division last season leaving its legion of supporters in pain.
Infighting at the club was fingered as the reason for the relegation that that has left Francistown with only one team in the Premier League.