Franco cries foul as Boteti Fighters fail to pay

NELSON DIRENG
Correspondent | Tuesday August 24, 2010 00:00

 

The team apparently slept and dined two nights at the Jonas Inn Guest House for P2, 640 that they allegedly failed to pay thereafter.

Speaking to Showbiz, Franco said that last season he and the Orapa-based team management had a very good relationship where they would use his services and pay within the stipulated time. 

He wasn't surprised on one day when the team appeared at his lodge without prior notification and although he was told that the person with the money to pay for accommodation wasn't around, he allowed the team to sleep over.

'It seemed the team's spokesperson, Leano Marumo is the one who carried the team's funds, but he claimed his car brokedown on the way to Gaborone at the time,' he said. 

Franco said that he was sympathetic and gave them time to regroup, but to his surprise Marumo started avoiding his calls and sometimes switched off his phone, when he (Franco) tried to call. 

'Whenever I reached him, he would make excuses and always promised to get back to me, but never did,' he said. 

Franco said he tried calling the team's management, but was told that the money for accommodation had been given to Marumo.  The last time he and I spoke was two weeks ago and all he said was that he was on a trip somewhere in the bush and he would get back to me as soon as he returned to Orapa.  When Showbiz contacted Marumo last week Wednesday, he promised that by Sunday the team would have paid Franco all the money owed to him.

'I don't know why he (Franco) had to go to the extent of involving the media when he and I have been working well together for more than a decade,' he said.  He said that their inability to pay Franco on time was not deliberate. 

He, however, said the team and Franco had an agreement that if the team is unable to pay on time, Franco should be patient because they would eventually pay him.  Marumo said that he and the committee members had to meet last week to discuss, among other things, the money owed to Franco. 

'We had expected some money from the Premier League Committee early after the season ended, but we have not received anything up to now,' he said. 

'From this money we had planned to pay Franco, but it seems we will have to dig deeper into our pockets to pay him,' he added.

Marumo, however, failed to deliver on his promise.  Franco told Showbiz that Marumo had never given him a call nor assured he will pay to date.