Babitseng denies using Gunners to push BFA agenda
Boitumelo Khutsafalo | Friday August 3, 2018 13:08
Following his announcement that he will stand for elections at Gunners, speculation started flying around that his decision is part of a strategy by the ‘Friends of Football’ to position themselves after losing BFA elections two years ago.
However, Babitseng said the speculation is baseless as he has no intention of doing that.
“People should not mix my standing for Gunners’ position and the BFA. I am here for Gunners and nothing else,” he revealed. He wondered how people would peddle such misconceptions knowing very well that the regions mainly determine the BFA elections and that him standing for a position at a club has nothing to do with BFA elections.
Meanwhile, Babitseng has promised to take Gunners to the top, if elected at the club's annual general meeting (AGM) tomorrow.
He is challenging incumbent chairperson, Hennel Kaisara who took over the position last year following the passing away of former leader, Phenyo Gothaang. Kaisara served as Gothaang’s assistant.
“We all grew up with the knowledge that Gunners is a big brand with a large following. But to be honest, their performance over the years has been dwindling. We need to change that culture and see to it that this club returns to the top,” he said. He said while he credits the past committee members for playing their part, it is time for some new faces who will help push the brand forward.
“Some of the things that we need to deal with are the constitution. We need to have a fully functional board, which should act as an oversight for the leadership. That board should be made of elders or people who have played a role in the team in the past,” he said.
The Gunners command a large following, but have been struggling financially over the years. They have lost a significant number of quality players as a result of their inability to match their financial demands compared to their competitors.
They had hoped so when the club was placed under Tsa Gae management, but soured relations between the directors of the company and the executive committee saw the deal collapse early this year. With elections coming up again, Peleng giants’ faithful remain sceptical about the promises made by aspiring candidates every time ahead of elections.
They are of the view that over the years, candidates came up with good ideas but implementation has always been a problem. However, Babitseng said this time around they would not waste time brainstorming new ideas since ideas have already been drafted in the past.
“We just have to hit the ground running from the word go and implement those ideas. Key amongst those ideas is the transformation of this club from a society into a company. We have to bring in investors. The only thing we need to do is sell this brand to them,” he said. He also said supporters will have to be workshopped so that they get an idea which direction their club is heading.