Rollers back Mpote to succeed
Kabelo Boranabi | Wednesday February 1, 2017 16:53
Mpote, who has been assistant coach for the past five seasons, was given the top job after the unexpected departure of Briton, Mark Harrison early this year.
The tactician has held the position on an interim basis following the departures of former coaches, Harrison and Madinda Ndlovu. However, he was recently handed the role on a substantive basis. Rollers over the weekend suffered a 2-0 loss at the hands of a disciplined Orapa United in the Mascom Top 8 semi-final played in Francistown. This was Mpote’s first defeat at the club either as a head coach or an interim coach. He has led the team to six wins and two draws in eight games.
Speaking at a press conference in Gaborone on Monday, the club’s president Jagdish Shah said the club believes in Mpote’s capabilities hence he was handed the top job at the club. “He has been a good guy.
He has been around for some time, first as an assistant to Madinda (Ndlovu) then to Mark (Harrison). We had a meeting with him, he told us he could do it, he asked for this opportunity. We decided to give him the job, he convinced us to, if we do not support our own who will?” Shah asked.
Mpote arrived at Rollers in 2012 and has seen the team win the league twice. He is a former Under-20 national team coach and had a stint at Motlakase Power Dynamos and Miscellaneous.
The soft-spoken tactician was recently at the centre of confusion regarding his coaching badges as the team prepares to play in Africa later this month. Mpote holds a CAF B coaching licence while CAF requires an A licence.
However, the club’s secretary general Khumoyame Masonya said the coach will be on the bench in the CAF Champions League game against Madagascar’s side, Caisse Nationale de Prevoynace Socaile Sport (CNaPS) on February 11.
“We hire coaches looking at the requirements set by the BFA (Botswana Football Association). Our coach’s qualifications meet the BFA standards and he will be able to coach on match day,” he said.
Rollers will leave for Madagascar on February 10, and will return home after the game. Their opponents will arrive in the country on February 16.
The team is at the top of the BTC Premiership table and will look to shake off their cup loss in league fixture against city rivals, Gaborone United on Saturday evening at the National Stadium.