'TAFIC not ready for Premiership'

Chakalisa Dube | Friday April 5, 2019 12:16

TAFIC lead the Debswana First Division North (FDN) log with 48 points, two ahead of Morupule Wanderers with three games remaining.

TAFIC need two convincing wins to secure automatic promotion. Wanderers are assured of a promotion play-off spot.

Towards the beginning of the season, Sebina said the aim was to build a strong foundation before the club could fight for promotion. He said the club was still behind in many areas and would only start fighting for promotion after at least two years.His remarks attracted criticism from supporters who wanted the club to instantly return to the premier league.  “I still stand by my words that we are not ready for the Premiership. Our financial position does not allow us to be in the Premiership. If our financial position does not change soon, we are going to be relegated if at all we win promotion,” Sebina told Mmegi Sport yesterday.

“If we go to the Premiership, we will have to recruit quality players, which will be costly and the expenses of running the team will be very high as we will be travelling a lot.” 

He added that the club has been trying to lobby the business community in the city to support the club to no avail. “We will continue trying to device strategies that can help the team sustain itself, but it is not an easy task,” he said.

Sebina stated that their technical sponsorship deal from Dlala is beginning to bear fruit.

“We have so far sold more than 500 t-shirts at P300 each.  We buy them at P180 each.  The money we generate from gate takings as well as from the sale of our merchandise is only enough to sustain the club at a lower level not in the Premier League,” he said, adding that the club has been maintaining the players without fail since the beginning of the season.

 TAFIC have been alternating between the Premiership and the First Division in recent seasons. Financial instability is the main reason for the club’s constant relegation from the Premiership.