Lower SA league players find haven in BPL
Kabelo Boranabi | Friday August 21, 2020 14:01
A number of players have crossed down south for better paying jobs from the BTC Premiership. There has been a decline in a number of exports recently, but the PSL remains the destination of choice for those who have excelled in the Botswana Premier League (BPL).
It has also been natural for elite clubs to recruit from abroad, as players from Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia have graced the local turfs in the past years. Some clubs have even gone, as far as Senegal, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya in search of players but all these have been players from the elite leagues. All these players see the BPL as a stepping-stone to the PSL. But it is a different story with South African players joining Botswana Premier League sides.
Local sides are recruiting from South Africa’s ABC Motsepe league, as the BPL has not yet enticed players from the PSL. The ABC Motsepe league is the third tier league in South Africa’s football hierarchy.
Local football writer, Kagiso ‘Mzambo’ Kgaogano says financial problems force local clubs to settle for players from the ABC Motsepe league, which he believes its level of play is at par with the local elite league.
“The problem with attracting good players is that you need money. For local clubs it has always been the issue of finances. Foreign players come at a cost and mostly it is good players that have played for good teams with better pay. It could also be an issue of the competitiveness of our league, which I believe is still amateur as compared to other leagues in the region,” Kgaogano argued. Some of South Africa’s players to join Botswana teams include Mthokosizi Msomi, Tshepo ‘Skhwama’ Matete, Manqoba ‘Shakes’ Ngwenya, Kamogelo Matsabu.
Tshepo ‘Bullet’ Borake and Atisang Batsi have turned out for Jwaneng Galaxy. Tshegofatso Chimuku, Mogomotso Mokoka and Masibusane Zongo have played for Extension Gunners, while speedy winger Orebotse ‘Bobo’ Mongae missed the green boot award by just two goals two seasons back in the colours of Miscellaneous.
Kgaogano said despite a number of players from the third league making an impact in the BPL, some have come to collect their retirement packages while others have been ‘entertainers’ who lure supporters to the games. “We have one or two players who have made an impact in the league, who have played well. Batsi and Matsabu are doing well at the moment. You may remember, Bobo Mongae at Miscellaneous, he had a good season. Otherwise, some of them who came here did not have anything to offer,” he said.
“South Africa is where we see our players going for greener pastures and if a player comes from SA, it will mean either they are not good enough or maybe coming down to revive or finish their careers like the likes of (Benedict) Vilakazi, Ngwenya, Zongo.
Some players I see them just as entertainers where teams bring them to attract more supporters in the likes of ‘Skhwama’. There is a lot of talent in Botswana that always breaks into the SA ranks.” Kgaogano suggested that local teams should focus on exporting to South Africa than importing.