Open letter to Solly Reikeletseng
Dennis Keagile | Friday November 28, 2014 18:05
Solly, you and I have not spoken or engaged each other for a very long time. The last time we spoke was when you assured me that you would try to do your best as Botswana National Sports Council chair.
My main concern Solly is that the biggest sporting code in the country, which politically holds the pulse of the country, is slowly getting into a serious crisis.
I am talking of Botswana Football Association (BFA), which administers the country’s national sport-football.
Just to appraise you, not long ago I wrote in the pages of this column that the association resembles the Libya of today where different militia groups are violently fighting each other so as to have an upper hand or control of the association.
I must also admit that may be this assertion is unfair to some of the committee members because of the good intentions they have, but the bottomline is, the association is in a crisis.
Solly, you will agree with me that the oomph, swagger and freshness with which the Tebogo Sebego led administration took office are ebbing away.
When he took office, he seemed to have a clear-cut roadmap of what to do and he did emphasise to me that it wouldn’t be business as usual.
However Sebego’s close relationship with his suspended deputy for administration is what alienates him from his other colleagues and I suspect sometimes clouds his objectivity and professionalism.
He therefore comes across like a cornered boy and not a cornered man. Note that the difference between a cornered boy and a cornered man.
A boy can fight anyhow to come out of that corner while a man will choose how he wants to come out of the corner.
I therefore plead with you to call him for an informal discussion over a cup of coffee.
I strongly believe that he needs some guidance or support because his administration is at war with itself.
Because of the infighting, there is very little progress on the core business of the sport- development.
I mean the vice president technical is not there and the vice president administration is currently suspended and so is the technical director.
Three key positions have no people although I gather Benny Kgomela might be re-instated or rather his suspension might be uplifted as apparently he was alone in the mix-up that took place in the Angola-Botswana friendly game.
You know much as I do that lawyers at times can be cheeky, cunning and falsely put up a brave face in the face of calamity but football is suffering and getting stagnant.
If this is a crisis big enough, there is another much bigger looming, the suspension of Botswana by the world football governing body, FIFA.
I am reliable informed that the association has been given until March 2015 to have complied with certain FIFA directives with regard to the controversial constituency league.
I know you have gone on record to say you embrace the constituency league, but Solly if the suspension comes I will personal hold you accountable.
In-fact on this issue I do not want you to have an informal discussion with Sebego, but to mobilise all and engage the new Minister of Sport, Culture and Recreation, Thapelo Olopeng.
I know him as a likeable person who listens and reasons and please take advantage of his close personal relationship or friendship with His Excellency President Lt General Seretse Khama Ian Khama.
Like a new broom he has to make sure that he sweeps very clean. This issue has been on the table or in the public domain for too long now and there has never been a concerted effort to bury this issue once and for all.
It looks like government wants to skirt around the issue. I want you to lead a delegation to the minister responsible and in turn you ought to take this delegation to the president.
It is high time the issue is discussed directly with the president without any fear. I am sure that the president would not like nor does he wish to see Botswana being suspended from all international footballing activities.
In any event, he is a keen and passionate sport follower and I have no doubt that he would be hurt if such a drastic action were to be imposed on Botswana football.
In-fact I want the sports council to have a system that can regularly check on the health and wellness of its affiliates.
I know you expressed your displeasure to the affiliates about the in-fighting that takes place, but I think there ought to be penalties to those affiliates who devote much of their time to settling scores. So I plead with you to save football from demise.