Emotions won in Nato, Ngele issue

Dennis Keagile | Friday October 17, 2014 14:21

It all started with the banishment of Nato from camp by Zebras head coach, Peter James Butler for alleged indiscipline or misconduct whichever is the right word. As a result Nato has allegedly retired from international football.

For me this is just a hushed, emotional and political decision by the player, which I think is ill-advised if indeed he has retired from international football. If Nato misbehaved as it is alleged he ought to deal with that aspect than try to throw a spanner in the whole thing.

Yes, Nato has since refuted the coach’s statement, but amid all this I pick a sense of protest especially from his agent Paul Mitchel. Mitchel seems not to like the fact that Zebras coach Butler has gone public with the alleged misconduct the player committed.  The agent comes across as very emotional and angry with the issue and as a result has made an announcement to the effect that the player has retired from international football much to the shock of the nation and his peers.

I however do not agree with Mitchel’s assertion that the decision is that of Nato and Nato alone. I have a strong feeling that the agent is pressurising the player to take such a decision, a decision, which by all intents and purposes is ill-advised.

Anything started in anger always ends in shame,. This is humble advice to Nato and Mitchel and I would therefore appeal to both to cool down and seek audience with the national team coach to resolve the matter.  I strongly feel that Nato still needs the Zebras for his growth much as the Zebras need his services. The action by Nato and his agent is in total contrast to that taken by Ngele’s manager or agent, Mike Maakab who has pleaded with the player to sort his issues with the Zebras technical team.

Instead of fuelling the disagreement Maakab has, true to his gentlemanly conduct and professionalism, advised the player to sort out the issue. This is what I expected Mitchel to have done than to try and blackmail Butler and Botswana.

This is nothing much, but just a storm in a tea cup, which ought not to be blown out of proportion. Nato has to be mindful of such emotive decisions that he could be setting a difficult trap for himself.  Blackmailing the coach and country is not the right thing to do and much as the player says he has nothing to apologise for, he owes it to his fans and supporters to show humility and be the humble and disciplined player we have always known.

When he is down and out the people who can stand by him are we the Zebras fans so he need not show us the middle finger as well. As one of the senior players in the squad in terms of game time and caps, he should know that quite a lot will be expected from him,  not only on the field of play but even his general conduct off the field. All I can is that sober up young man.

That as it may be, the tendency by Butler  of rushing to the press to hang his players dry whenever he has an issue with a player is not on.  In-fact I wonder if Butler would like it when players rush to the media to castigate him.

If he is not castigating a player in the media he is chastising an official of the association. I find it quite unprofessional and disappointing that whenever he is stressed, he rushes to the media to download.   There is a difference between being outspoken and showing respect to others. It should not always be about him being right all the time. And yes I expect him to crack the whip for any player who does not behave regardless of the status of that player, but using the press to castigate the players is not the right thing to do.

It is like throwing the player to the wolves. In other countries this could have dire consequences not only for the player but even his family. Right now based on the coach’s allegation against the player, I total feel gutted towards Nato that he has terribly let his country and supporters down.

If it is true that he did what he is alleged to have done, then I expect his club Atletico de Kolkata to take action against him and for his agent to admonish him as well. I wonder why he would do this when he cannot do it at his club.

The conduct of a professional player needs not change whether playing for country or club. The expectations are the same. That said Batswana might have to apologise to former Zebras coach, Stanley Tshosane for castigating him for adopting a defensive approach. Given the results I think it is now crystal clear that the approach adopted by Tshosane and Jelusic Vesselin worked better for the Zebras because every time the Zebras try to play an open game, it terribly gets exposed.

As a result it will take a bit of time for the team to really match the big boys. Butler ought to salvage some sort of pride than to dismally fail to get a win or point from this group.

Luckily he has been spared all the criticism by the press and the nation, but it might not be long before people start questioning him .The other question is, do we real have the players who can stand toe to toe with the best in Africa?

For far too long Zebras has relied on some “unfit” players not from a physical perspective but from a technical aspect of the game. Jerome JJ Ramatlhakwane has for far too long now been the Zebras main striker but without regular club football .

Time has come for JJ to settle in Botswana and forget about international club football which by all intents and purposes has not yielded the desired results as he continues to be a bit part player.

First it was South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The player ought to settle here before it is too late. It is back to the drawing board for the Zebras following yet another 2-0 loss to Egypt on Wednesday.

One goal in four games is quite worrisome and points to a problem in the middle and upfront. A challenge to clubs to produce more quality strikers but this has been a bad campaign.

The remaining two years of Butler’s three-year contract will be very critical and whether he can come out of the woods time will tell.