Butler is acidic to Botswana football

Dennis Keagile | Friday July 3, 2015 14:53

It cannot be right that Butler has a different set of rules simply because he is an expatriate and there is a different set of rules governing the locals.

Butler has to respect other structures in place. His recent controversial comments on his Tweeter account regarding 2014/15 Premier League player of the season award cannot go unchallenged.  We all had different perspectives or opinions, but once the panel of adjudicators has made their decision that ought to be respected. My biggest concern is the lack of respect Butler seem to have towards players.

It is like players have to kneel and beg him to be selected into the national team set up. One moment he says something about a player and the other moment he seem to forget what he has said. He is slowly becoming an acidic content to Botswana football.

Unfortunately, the BFA executive or whoever is his supervisor seems to fear him. If his supervisors did not fear him by now, he would be more professional in his conduct and appreciating the many factors and facets that his position brings to the game.

If Butler knew Diphetogo Selolwane well he would appreciate that his recent comments were out of line. Ordinarily, Selolwane would not have commented or responded in the way he did.

He is one person I consider to be very professional and respectful to other people, but following Butler’s comments he couldn’t just hold himself.

The executive ought to reign in Butler and give him the code of conduct as to what he can say or not say as national team coach.

Perhaps the association has taken for granted that he will always be ethical in his behaviour and that as the head coach of the senior national team, he is part of the management structure running football in this country.

All over the world, professional coaches respect each other, including the players.

With the senior national team struggling, the least that can be expected is to polarise the nation around the support for the team. The environment should be conducive enough for any player to feel welcome in the team, and for the player to feel that he is a valuable member.

There shouldn’t be a situation whereby some players feel they have been excluded not on account of merit but for something else. If Butler wants full support from the nation he has to show respect to all.

There is a saying, “if you are in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Basically, Butler has to follow the set rules of the association or there aren’t any?

Already, Mochudi Centre Chiefs have expressed grave concern on some of the comments  made by the coach with specific reference to Lesego Galenamotlhale that he was not a deserving candidate for player of the season.

The club says it appears Butler has a vendetta against Chiefs.

These are issues that ought to be cleared and ironed out for the good of Botswana football and I expect the BFA to do something about it, lest we perhaps get divided for nothing. But surely the team needs goodwill and the coach can only cultivate that goodwill.

That said, it is a do or die for the Zebras as it faces little Lesotho in the return leg of the CHAN tournaments.

The Zebras ought to win this game to redeem some form of pride as its qualification for Gabon 2017 looks like a bridge too far to cross.

The team has failed to score in two consecutive away games, scoring draw and then advancing on the away goal.

But if the coach continues to speak as he likes, chances are that some supporters won’t go and watch the team and this will escort şirinevler adversely affect it.

The team’s lack of potency in front of goal is still a major challenge, but it worries me most that the likes of Joel Mogorosi and Mogakolodi Ngele seem not to have the same enthusiasm like before.  I know that they won’t be part of this weekend’s second leg qualifier as this is for locally based players only, but something is missing from the team.

 

Copa America

The curtain comes to a close this Saturday night when hosts, Chile meet tournament favourites, Argentina in the final of the Copa America.

This has been a competitive tournament where household names like Brazil and Colombia struggled.

Brazil was booted out by Paraguay via penalties. Since its horrifying 7-1 defeat by Germany at last year’s World Cup, the Selecao seem to be on reverse gear even under a new coach.

The advantage of the Copa America is that most of the countries seem to be on par technically. This means that the development level , despite different levels of resources is on par.

Paraguay for instance has won the Copa America many, many times just like Argentina and Brazil.

But whether Chile can upset Argentina on Saturday remains to be seen, but it has been the team of the tournament thanks to the home support.  Argentina are reaching their second major final in less than 12 months. Will it be second time lucky? I go for Chile.