Please save our mighty Zebras!

| Friday February 26, 2010 00:00

During the days of Serbian Veselin Jelusic as coach, the Zebras used to fight until the final minute. The players were not scared of anyone even the big boys of African football. North African giants Morocco were made to sweat for victory in Gaborone and Rabat. Though the Zebras have beaten western neighbours Namibia in the past, the Brave Warriors have been to the AFCON finals in Burkina Faso in 1998. Malawi were in the 2010 finals in Angola and left a lasting impression.

The same Flames' squad was beaten convincingly by the Zebras during the 2006 qualifiers. That was then.

Considering that the Zebras were doing well just five years ago, it is a mistake that the team did not build on the performance.

By now, the Zebras would have been at least to the 2008 finals or this year's showpiece. But things took a turn for the worse when the Botswana Football Association (BFA) employed Colwyn Rowe to drill the Zebras. The under-performing Briton did not take long in the hot seat before he was shown the exit door.

Since then, the nation has lost faith in the team. Many fans nowadays sit at home when the Zebras play. This needs to be rectified immediately.

The truth of the matter is that something needs to be done to save the Zebras. The under-fire coach Stanley Tshosane has said that his target is to qualify the team for the 2012 finals in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

But the main question is, was Tshosane realistic in his comments or was he saying it because he knew that the odds are against him? Only time will tell. When the qualifiers for the West African showpiece begin in September, the Zebras will have to put a performance, which will woo the soccer fans back to the stadiums.

While Tshosane will continue to be grilled if the team is not delivering, the players must know what wearing the national colours mean. Until the current crop of players know why they are called for national duty like during the Jelusic era, the Zebras will continue to suffer.

The BFA must effectively play its role and if it is not serious, it is better the current officials give way to those willing to perform. While we all agree that former BFA president Phillip Makgalemele and his crew were not perfectionists, there is no doubt the performance of the national teams was their main priority. It is a pity that Zebras continue to fail to use the FIFA dates to play friendly games.

In the next months, the Zebras must engage in preparatory games, which will ensure that Tshosane knows the strength and weaknesses of the team in time for the qualifiers.

There are claims that local coaches are not given full support when they are in charge of the national teams. But BFA must understand that the coaches are there to serve the football community.