Lessons From High Profile Foreign Coaches

DEAR SPORTS EDITOR | Friday July 23, 2010 00:00

Statistics show that this league is dominated by foreign coaches with some of them referred to as 'high profile', probably because of one or two silverwares salvaged from either the league or the Coca-Cola Cup during their tenure. In other leagues outside the country, foreign coaches seem to stay much longer in one team regardless of the team's status at the end of the season.

We may borrow a leaf from them as it seems there is something they are doing right which we might be doing wrong. I personally suspect that the so-called 'high profile coaches' have an element of unreliability and have consequently developed dishonesty (unless they openly say why they are shuttling between teams).

Whether what they are paid is worth the results they produce still remains unanswered. The recent triangular issue between Gaborone United (GU), Mochudi Centre Chiefs and Township Rollers must undoubtedly be a very good lesson to a wise man on how tricky some foreign coaches can be and that in future, some will think twice before falling for the same trick. These gentlemen are surely here for business and will leave no stone unturned in as far as lucrative offers are concerned regardless of whatever they would have agreed with whoever. Their slogan is clear - 'money talks'. One thing that puzzles me a lot about these coaches is that they seem to learn little or nothing from their predecessors regarding circumstances that led them to parting with such teams.

The recently acquired GU coach is rumoured to have made an agreement with Chiefs only to turn his back on them upon getting a better offer from GU where he was previously fired for the never explained 'professional misconduct'. Whether [or not]  his return marks any improvement to such misconduct only GU management can tell.

One may not be wrong to suggest that these are actions associated with desperation for rescuing the team from blunders made by hiring a coach contracted to a professional team. Chiefs recently stated that their issue with Mike Sithole was being looked into from the legal perspective and a press statement would be released to that effect.  To my surprise, news broke out that they have now acquired the services of Rollers' coach, Rahman Gumbo. There is only one question that comes into my mind now. Are we not readying ourselves for yet another legal battle between Chiefs and Rollers because nothing has ever gone smoothly between these clubs? I am crossing my fingers that maybe this time, things were done right even though what is right to one side might be wrong to the other side.  All said and done, speculation will always prevail as the truth has never and may probably never be told to our sports journalists no matter how hard they try.

I propose that our teams make an introspection in as far as disclosure of information to journalists is concerned. I have observed that teams give journalists information when things are going well. But when trouble starts, the response they give is: 'We will give a press statement soon'. But to my dismay that rarely happens.

Why then do you have PROs [Public Relations Officers] in your structures or have they now turned into ceremonial posts? It really disturbs for a league that aspires to grow to have its sports news dominated by phrases like 'according to reliable sources' instead of 'according to the team's PRO'. I would like to advise most PROs to act responsibly and stop ignoring calls from journalists when the going gets tough in their clubs contrary to what they do when things are smooth. I wonder how they would feel if journalists 'revenge' when they need them most to publish 'good news' of their clubs.

 I guess if there was transparency, we would not be having more questions than answers on this issue of coaches versus teams.

I would like to propose to my friend Gumbo to solicit advice from Wesley Mondo on how things are done at Chiefs lest he finds himself jobless before the end of the season. By the way, I do not like to be left hanging in sports news so I would like to know from Chiefs whether  [or not] the acquisition of Gumbo's services brings to an end my long-awaited press statement on Sithole's sudden 'betrayal'.

Finally, I would like to request the Premier League Committee to include in their annual plans a trip to Egypt together with the Botswana Football Association (BFA) technical director to benchmark on how 'localisation' in football is done. I am convinced that they will learn a lesson or two which might change our football for the better.

Witness Director Taziba Sebina