Give Mamelodi that BFA CEO post

Thuso Palai | Tuesday April 14, 2015 23:54

The current CEO of the Botswana Premier League Bennet ‘The Diving’ Mamelodi has been hush-hush mentioned as a possible candidate to replace Keith Masters. And as was expected he has flatly denied the link. I’m not surprised. He is a very ambitious gentleman and if courted, on his terms, he cannot down the opportunity. That I’m pretty sure off. Both parties are keeping their cards close to their chest and not letting anything out. That is to be expected as the BFA has to leave no stone unturned and  look wide for a substantive replacement.

Bennet Mamelodi has proved his mettle at the helm of the BPL. He has ruffled a few feathers along the way, but gets things done. No longer do we have teams doing as they please. There is a degree of order. He has not always made the popular decisions and has irked some, but he always stands by and justifies his decisions. He takes initiative and is a risk taker who understands the business of football and what football in Botswana deserves from the different partners and stakeholders. 

With the current BFA leadership touting privatisation and commercialisation as a major deliverable in their tenure, they might just have their man to steer the ship towards that privatisation and commercialisation in Bennet Mamelodi. He is knowledgeable about Botswana football and its dynamics. He has the necessary experience, having dealt with the harsh and once mumbo-jumbled BPL office. He has brought stability to the BPL office and has won many hearts. He has a business mind and understands the business of football.

Yes he has goofed up here and there, but on the whole he has brought more positives than negatives To the BPL and indeed Botswana football.  One might say he has had accusations of mismanagement and favouritism levelled at him, but then again who hasn’t. He has always come out and nothing untoward has been pinned on him.

There was at some point murmurs of a rift between him and the BFA President but that seems like water under the bridge now. The Sebego – Mamelodi combination might just be the right tonic for our football in the remainder of Sebego’s tenure. Both of them are proud, but if they could control their somewhat inflated egos and work together, they could make a great combination and complement each other.

The BFA has looked from within and afar for someone to turn around its fortunes and have for the most part fallen short in the recent past. They have not appointed someone with lasting powers and the balls to ruffle a few feathers while getting some work done. We have had the likes of Styles Ntshinogang, Thuso Dikgaka, Tosh Kgotlele, Judge Mookodi and the recent former in Keith Masters.

All of them had their moments but did not bring much ooooomph to the BFA and Botswana football. I have a feeling Mamelodi would bring some stability, change and bite to the position. We have taken risks with the position before, and surely giving Mamelodi a chance wouldn’t be a huge risk.