World Cup hopes still alive- Kgathi

MQONDISI DUBE
Staff Writer | Tuesday March 16, 2010 00:00

 

The minister told a media briefing yesterday at the Gaborone International Convention Centre (GICC) that the BFA is still pursuing teams to train in Botswana although it is an arduous task. Kgathi heads the local 2010 FIFA World Cup Task Force.

He said that initially, the task force was talking to World Cup teams to set-up their bases in Botswana. But after learning that the teams should be in the host country two weeks prior to the event, focus shifted to attracting teams to come and train in Botswana. Kgathi said most teams demanded prohibitive appearance fees, which put paid to Botswana's hopes. Spain, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Denmark, Argentina, France, Serbia, Japan, Slovenia, Mexico, Chile and Brazil were all targeted. 'While the effort to get commitment from these teams has not borne fruit, it is continuing. The aim now is to get teams to come to Botswana to play matches against the Zebras. While some of the teams have declined the invitation, efforts to lure some countries have been abandoned on account of the high demands of such teams,' Kgathi said. He said Spain had demanded P11 million as appearance fees and it was felt that the money could be best utilised elsewhere, particularly in developing the Zebras. Kgathi said no one could blame the government for refurbishing infrastructure in readiness for the World Cup as the facilities would benefit the nation in the long run.

He said the new Lobatse Stadium is 86 percent complete while the Francistown Stadium is way behind at 68 percent. The refurbishment of the National Stadium is 89 percent complete while repair works at the UB and SSKB Stadiums have been finished.

There are feelings that the Task Force, which was established in 2006, had not made significant progress. After its establishment, the Task Force engaged Alexander Ross, a consultancy firm based in the United Kingdom, to develop a strategy document for Botswana towards hosting 2010 World Cup teams.

Kgathi said Alexander Ross submitted a preliminary report that the country was capable of hosting two international teams in Gaborone. He said the report recommended that the facilities be upgraded to bring them to international standards. That is why the authorities started the stadium renovation programme.