Mares find streams in parched conditions
Kabelo Boranabi | Friday January 31, 2020 12:10
With close to a decade after the continental cup showpiece, the Zebras’ displays have since dipped and they no longer command the same following as in the past.
Instead, the women’s teams have emerged as the new, albeit, the lesser recognised darling.
The Mares now carry the hope of the nation, with realistic chances of creating history and qualifying for major tournaments.
The women’s senior, Under-20 and Under-17 teams have been riding the crest of the wave with defiant displays against their regional counterparts.
The women’s games hit the new lows after a decision by the Botswana Football Association to demolish the then Super League and introduced regional leagues. The decision was meant to see more activity from the teams across the country but was hit by a number of teething issues.
Amongst those was lack of sponsorship, teams’ inactivity while some regions did not register the required number of teams to form a league structure. But then the little that has been sown under the dry conditions is beginning to sprout and is expected to bear fruit at national level.
It has been a very successful 12 months for the women’s teams. The Under-17 girls team made an appearance at the inaugural COSAFA Championship. Despite failing to progress to the semifinals, the team put up an impressive display.
The 2020 Under-17 World Cup qualifiers pitted Tapaphiwa Gaebolae’s team against neighbours Zimbabwe. The team washed away their opponents 7-0 over two legs and would face Morocco in the next round.
This set them just two ties away from a first ever appearance at the global spectacle. If they overcome the North Africans, they will have just a tie over two legs to reach the World Cup to be held in India. It will be a sparkling achievement.
The same can be said for the Under-20s. The team is one foot in to the next round of the 2020 Under-20 World Cup.
They lead 7-0 into second leg scheduled for this evening. Their success can be traced to last year’s appearance at the COSAFA Senior Women’s Championship. Up against the regional powerhouses, Jacqueline Gaboinelwe’s side reached the tournament’s semifinal for the first time in history.
They had been slotted in after the senior team travelled for a training camp in Slovakia. Four months later, the team recorded the highest away win for the women’s game with a 7-0 thumping to Namibia in a World Cup qualifier in Windhoek. Either South Africa or Zambia will stand in the way of the Under-20 side in the next round.
In April, the senior side, the Mares will face off against Namibia in the Africa Women Cup of Nations. A win past the western neighbours will pit the side against Gabon or Central African Republic. They will have just a two-leg to secure the continental cup appearance.
The Mares’ chances have been enhanced after CAF’s decision to increase the number of teams from eight to 12 for the cup.
They are on a form of their own. Mares eliminated Banyana Banyana for the first time in the 2020 Olympic games qualifiers, but were later knocked out by Zambia with just two rounds to secure their qualification.
Despite the impressive showing by the teams, rewards have been little to nothing, the highest was a P1,000 cheque for the Mares for beating Banyana. For junior teams, it is even worse as they are only given allowances and bonuses. The technical team is no different from the players.
They are employed on a voluntary basis and only pocket allowances while their male counterparts receive a five-figure salary. The next 12 months will be vital for the women’s teams who seem to have found the remedy to quench the nation’s thirst for success under dry conditions.