Govt rescues Zebras� trip
Thato Kala | Wednesday July 30, 2014 14:26
The Zebras meet Guinea Bissau on Saturday with a 2-0 lead from the first leg.
With the P5 million annual grant from Botswana National Sports Council (BNSC) already exhausted, BFA had to look elsewhere to salvage the trip which was in danger of being cancelled.
BFA president Tebogo Sebego has said the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture has availed funds for the trip that is likely to cost P1.2 million.
“We got help from the ministry, the team will be travelling for Saturday’s game,” he said.
BFA found itself in a similar situation two weeks ago when the Under-17 national team had to travel to Lusaka. Air Botswana had to rescue the association by sending the team to Zambia without receiving full payment.
Meanwhile, the BFA can fly the Zebras to Bissau through South Africa and Dubai or through the cheaper route of Nairobi and Ghana, starting with the Kenya Airways flight that leaves this morning.
BFA chief executive officer, Keith Masters was uncertain about the team’s itinerary when contacted for comment yesterday afternoon.
“The team may leave tonight or tomorrow, we are still working that out,” he told Mmegi Sport.
Zebras’ preparations were thrown off balance due to lack of funds when a mini-camp in Ghana was cancelled because of lack of funds. The team would have left for a training camp in Ghana yesterday.
As if that was not enough, players were unhappy because the association failed to pay them allowances they had been promised after playing the visiting British club, Bristol City.
The BFA blundered by failing to follow up on the visiting English side which had promised to take care of all expenses after the Thursday game. To avert a crisis, BFA officials stepped in to assure players the matter will be sorted out soon.
Sebego said they understood the players’ gripe and they will definitely do something.
“We were told Bristol City would foot all the expenses for the Zebras’ game (including bonuses). So we authorised the game with that understanding. We do realise the players were promised to be paid and we have decided to step in and sort that out,” Sebego said.