Kgomela, Babitseng wrong choices
Dennis Keagile | Friday November 14, 2014 12:03
This follows allegations that he did not fully account for the funds for the preliminary CAF qualifying games against Guinea –Bissau. Babitseng is not new to controversy as he was once suspended last year.
For the good of the BFA executive and football, Babitseng ought to voluntarily step down. In-fact I plead with Sebego to just bite the bullet and release his once trusted right hand man.
When he ascended to the VP position administration, there were always question marks as to whether he is the right man for the position. Some said he was put in not because he is an exceptional administrator but because those who were on Sebego’s side thought he could work well with him without giving him any problems.
Just a week ago a friend of mine who is also a friend to Sebego told me that the BFA president still has to learn Babitseng. Simply put , it meant that the BFA president was naïve to have so much trust and confidence in Rre Babitseng.
Surely two suspensions within a year for similar allegations is just one too many and does not inspire confidence in the affiliates and probably the would-be sponsors or current partners.
Apparently the Botswana National Sports Council (BNSC) is unequivocal in its demand for accountability and corporate governance and the organisation is simply saying rules of good financial management were not followed.
It is my strongly held view that the honourable thing for Babitseng to do is to voluntarily step down. Not long ago I posted that the BFA resemble the current Libya, which is riddled with different militia groups each of which wants to be the dominant faction.
And with the technical director, Benny Kgomela apparently poking his nose all over, the association is facing a serious leadership challenge.
It would appear the association has no values that can glue it together. As for the BFA president, Tebogo Sebego, he ought to accept the situation that may be the choice of Kgomela and Babitseng were not the best.
The office of the technical director ought to have peace and be focused on grassroots development as well as research and development.
Perhaps the association ought to go on a retreat to brainstorm and do team building. As things stand there will be little progress especially that the position of vice president technical is still vacant.
In-fact I am a little disappointed with the BFA affiliates as they seem not to have scrutinised some of the candidates as it would look like some of them (affiliates) were just flowing with the current. The end result is a semi-paralysis of the association. Perhaps it is time to get rid of the factions troubling the beautiful game.
Constituency tournaments
After much ululations regarding the possible breakthrough on this tournament , I was never convinced looking at the FIFA statutes that the method or model adopted by government and the association was the right one. The matter is pure and straightforward from a sporting perspective.
The association ought to run and administer this tournament in accordance with its rules, regulations and statutes. What perhaps the association, together with the BNSC and government ought to do, is set up regional offices across the country to run the tournament.
The aim and objectives of the tournament ought to be clear. And given the voting patterns in this year’s general elections, the tournament from a political perspective seem to be losing some of the verve especially in towns and semi-urban areas.
In remote areas, well many love it. All the major stakeholders ought to come around the table and honestly and sincerely discuss the matter.
At the same time I still think that this money can better be used to develop kids and girls of six years if we are to produce champions year after year. Brazil is a country that seems to excel in almost all the sporting codes because of her investment in youth development.
Be it volleyball, boxing or canoeing, the country is always doing well or competing aggressively. Botswana ought to do the same. Above all we ought to start producing quality strikers in football and this can only be done at an early age. At 18 years it is difficult to fine tune the basic skills.
Zebras
This weekend’s CAF qualifying game against Tunisia is Zebras last throw of the dice, not that it can qualify as the second best runner up, but because this is the last home game for the team and as such the team ought to salvage something.
The team’s campaign started well with the preliminaries but things got tougher and tougher with the group stage games.
To date the team has only managed one goal in four games. This is a disaster from a strike rate perspective and cause for concern. The onus goes back to the individual clubs to do their best in producing exceptionally strikers.
In this particular game the challenge and focus will be on Mogakollodi ‘Tsotso’ Ngele. Ngele who in the last season was the toast of Platinum Stars of South Africa has terribly gone off the boil both for club and country.
His recent indiscretions did not do him any good either but like a true sportsperson he has apologised for his petulance. That is the way to go young man and I wish others could do the same including Ofentse Nato who is becoming a prima donna.
To be a legend one has to stay focused, committed and disciplined all the time. Without discipline no matter how good a player is, he cannot last longer. To the players I say play for your coach and the fans, as this is the last game at home. Good Luck.