The final desperate football needs
Koketso Kgoboge | Friday January 12, 2018 15:39
The eyes of expectant fans rolled with the four miniature balls used for the Mascom Top 8 draw in the sweltering heat at the Gaborone Bus Rank on Tuesday. Jwaneng Galaxy and Orapa United were the first two teams out. There was a sigh of relief when the director of ceremonies cushioned the crowd, explaining that the two were not going to meet each other.
Instead one would pick either Township Rollers and Gaborone United (GU); a dream draw for many.
Fingers were crossed that Rollers and GU avoid each other in the semi-final. But Rollers and GU must conquer their respective semi-final opponents, who are battle hardened campaigners.
The two diamond mine sides have a Top 8 trophy to their name and are resource rich. While there were wild cheers that the two Gaborone giants had avoided each other, there still exists the immediate danger that Galaxy and Orapa might upset the applecart.
The fans have crafted their own perfect script, where GU and Rollers will advance to the final. The semi-final is a mere formality, according to the script, with all eyes on a mouthwatering final pitting the red and blue halves of the capital.
Desperate football yearns for such a final to breathe life into a season that has largely underwhelmed.
There is nothing wrong with a final, which will feature either Galaxy or Orapa against either of the Gaborone sides.
But that will not be the big kill. Lions immediately go hunting after devouring an impala, but spend several days, stomachs full, after a buffalo meal. Football’s hunger is that deep, an impala is not an option at this stage.
Fans have been starved for a long time and a dream final at the ceremonial home of football, the National Stadium or the new favourite, Francistown Sports Complex, would go a distance in retrieving what has been, aesthetically, a disappointing season.
Tuesday’s mood told a story of a success-starved family in need of a big pay-out.
GU and Rollers are largely seen as the perfect protagonists to soothe the suffering fans. Galaxy and Orapa posses sufficient artillery to compete with the best as they have proven so in the past, but their appeal on the stands has not matched their play.
They deserve their place in the final, but like in most plots in a movie, the script cannot go wrong so late in the day.