Well done BFA, but...

Thuso Palai | Wednesday September 9, 2015 11:17

This time around they made some decisions that I totally agree with and a reasonable man I am, I must commend them for their spot on decisions. As much as we blurt out when we don’t agree with them, we should also do the same when we agree with them.  

A few weeks back the BFA top brass decided on hosting the AFCON qualifier against Burkina Faso in Francistown and went back to All Kasi to dress the team. Spot on decisions that I agree with 110%. Although their arms were twisted to some extent, they did make the decisions and for that I commend them. The National Stadium was booked off for another event and the BFA had to make a decision on where the game would be played.

They had two options, either the Lobatse Stadium or the Francistown Stadium. They opted for the fresh new Francistown Stadium and their decision was spot on. This presented a chance for a Grade A National team game to be played in the Northern part of the country and an opportunity for Batswana to get a glimpse of the new stadium. As much as they sometimes make decisions that I don’t agree with and put forth my opinion on such decisions, this time around I must hasten to commend them.

The BFA-Umbro deal has elapsed and is it, the BFA still does not have a technical sponsor. A tender is out and as a stop-gap measure, the BFA went back to All Kasi. As a local label, they made a wise decision, going by the accolades they got from most Batswana.

That being said, there is still something that has left a bitter taste on my mouth. The Mochudi Centre Chiefs – Peter James Butler issue, although it has been dismissed as small and trivial by some, still worries me. It is Centre Chiefs today and it could be another team tomorrow. An apology, whether justified or not, would have long solved the issue and we would have moved on by now. Those close to the situation always say we don’t know what is going on and we can’t have an opinion.

Well, I beg to differ and I will stand my ground on this one. For me it is not about who is wrong and who is not right but about relationship building. Sometimes when one demands an apology, you just do it so that peace prevails and life goes on. In Setswana you just apologise go ba swabisa and life goes. A simple apology doesn’t cost anything, and apologising does not necessarily mean that you are wrong.

The more this non-issue has been made to drag on for, the more I have this feeling that there is more to this than meets the eye. I have a feeling there is something else going on that is not necessarily related to this issue. And I hope I’m wrong. But then again, I guess it’s a case of egos at work.  

Going back to the positives, the seemingly seamless hosting of the game in Francistown augurs well for the relations between the BFA and Francistown, or I could say the Northerner part of the country. From what I have heard, all the necessary stakeholder worked in unison for a common goal to have a seamless, successful hosting of the game. This was also some kind of a dry run for whenever we host international games.  From all the feedback I got, I must say all went well.

For all that happened over the weekend; well-done BFA. Well done to Mr Tebogo Sebego and his team for such a wonderful weekend for Batswana.