Bleak future ahead despite calls for return
Kabelo Boranabi | Friday September 25, 2020 15:12
The Botswana Football Association (BFA) leadership has remained resolute about delaying the resumption of football action.
The football grounds fell silent in March, when all sporting activities were suspended amid the COVID-19 menace.
Players are becoming rusty, football fields are forgotten, and the stands are facing a long dry summer.
But last week, the government sent a glimmer of hope, announcing the lifting of a ban on football activities. But the BFA, like most codes, warned against an immediate return this week, arguing certain protocols have to be adhered to. COVID-19 compliance does not come cheap.
Football has already suffered greatly since the deadly virus reached local shores around March.
The losses are mounting, while some players might never return to a game that has given them fame, and something to put on their table.
It is a grim situation, which could alter the futures of hundreds of players. Calls have been mounting that sporting activities, including football, be allowed to resume as soon as possible.
But the mother body has adopted a measured approach. BFA has already set next year February, as the tentative date for the return of football.
It might be a decision that has riled some, but appears the safest under the prevailing conditions.
The country has recorded a surge in COVID-19 cases, which means contact sport is now a risky undertaking.
The February return appears miles away, but it does not look like the fans would be part of the match day festivities when action resumes. Local football’s well-documented financial struggles mean the clubs’ bottom line would be severely impacted by the absence of the 12th man.
Most clubs have laboured to woe the fans, but have nonetheless, counted on gate takings to keep the sides trudging along.
With fans unlikely to return, may be even until next season, local football is expected to plumb the depths.
South Africa managed to complete its season, thanks to the handsome amounts the league has been able to attract from the corporate world. Botswana does not have such luxury, as it is an extreme case of “from hand to mouth” for most of the clubs.
At times, the hand does not even reach the mouth, which has seen clubs dragged to labour courts, and even FIFA for unfulfilled obligations.
The thought of a return to empty stadiums is blood curdling.
The league received nothing from a cashless broadcast rights deal with Botswana Television.
Last season, BTC slashed its sponsorship amount from P13 million to just P5 million.
With COVID-19 adversely impacting the economy, sport sponsorship would be found at the bottom of the pile for most corporates.
A return to action without the fans would represent probably a bigger headache for authorities.
Clubs have struggled to survive even when fans go through the turnstiles.
Surviving in the new normal would prove a gargantuan task for most of the clubs, as the cost of playing football has been hiked by COVID-19 requirements.