Gunners sink deeper into crisis
Boitumelo Khutsafalo | Friday October 11, 2019 11:14
While the team battles for survival early on in the season, internal bickering is also threatening to throw the club into further turmoil.
While the Lobatse side was still trying to deal with the issue of chairperson, Tariq Babitseng and the Botswana Football Association (BFA) as well as long standing debts, a section of supporters waged their own war against the club management over several issues affecting the club.
Last week, a group of supporters scheduled a meeting in which the club management was invited. Issues amongst others; financial and management reports, compliance and membership registration, were to be discussed.
The supporters made it clear that they have lost confidence in the way the club is being run by the current management.
However through the club secretary, Mavis Mosweu, the executive committee warned the disgruntled supporters about the consequences of not following proper procedure when calling for such meetings.
The supporters last Saturday however are said to have ignored the warning and went ahead. The meeting however did not proceed as the supporters did not form a quorum and has since been deferred to this Saturday.
It also emerged towards the end of last week that peace continues to elude the once feared giants after the committee accused former chairperson, Hennel Kaisara of failing to account for the sale of midfielder, Mothusi Cooper to Township Rollers.
Cooper joined Rollers last season for a reported fee of P80,000. However, the club secretary wrote to Kaisara last Friday saying the current committee has learnt that Kaisara had previously presented that Cooper was sold for P35, 000 while in actual fact Rollers paid P80, 000 for his signature.
The former chairperson has since denied the accusations as multitudes of Gunners supporters wonder whether the club will eventually find inner peace.
It has emerged that with all the problems currently engulfing the club, another garnish order arrived at the BFA over unpaid debts to former employer, Itumeleng Duiker.
Duiker coached Gunners for sometime before he was relieved of his duties last season. The club has been struggling to pay other former coaches, Keitumetse ‘Pio’ Paul as well as Daniel Nare.
The latest revelation comes at a time when the club agreed a payment plan with Nare.
Some supporters now fear for the worst after Gunners were docked points at the beginning of the season due to failure to comply with the Club Licencing requirements. Gunners were amongst clubs that were punished for their failure to pay former employees.
They sit dangerously in the relegation zone with minus three points. They have only won one game and reports of players threatening to boycott matches because of unpaid salaries have become the order of the day.
As it stands, the club looks set to face its most challenging period in a long time with results on the field not coming while boardroom wrangles also increase by the day. At press time, the club’s management had not responded to a questionnaire from Mmegi Sport.