League Chairperson Blamed For Fixture Mix-Up
Calistus Kolantsho | Monday January 30, 2017 12:39
First Division South League chairperson, Sam Keitireng has been accused of causing confusion that forced the abandonment of the game.
The two sides were scheduled to clash in a top of the table fixture, but Notwane did not turn up for the match.
Notwane public relations officer, Julius Baitumetse told Sport Monitor that they were ready to play against Sharps on Saturday.
He said on Friday, they received a call from Keitireng informing them that the weekend games were cancelled due to rains.
“We leant that the First Division South League committee had a meeting on Friday morning where they decided to cancel all matches. Keitireng even confirmed to us on Saturday that we did not have a game,” he said.
Baitumetse said the grounds that are used for the Debswana First Division matches were muddy and therefore unplayable.
He said they were surprised to learn on Saturday afternoon that Sharps were at the ground for the match. He said there was nothing they could do because they had already informed their players that the game was cancelled.
He said despite that, Notwane officials proceeded to the ground where they had a discussion with match officials. He said as a club, they trusted the information they received from Keitireng since he is a committee member.
But Keitireng denied communicating with Notwane regarding cancellation of the match.
He also said it was untrue that there was a Friday meeting where a decision to cancel matches was taken.
“The (weather) forecast indicated that there was possibility of rain. We agreed that it was not healthy to cancel the games on Friday.
That is why other matches were played. Notwane took advantage of the situation and did not turn up,” Keitireng said. He said the solution is to play the game during the week.
Another match that was called off was the encounter between Letlapeng and Lesirane, but Keitireng said he was yet to establish the reasons.
Other results: Black Peril 2-1 Skoon Boys, Prisons 2-1 Matebejane, Mochudi Rovers 1-0 Modipane United and UF Santos 2-0 Mogoditshane Fighters.