BFA must do a full introspection on Zebras

Editor | Tuesday March 30, 2010 00:00

In the heydays, Zebras fans used to fill the stadium to the rafters. When a game was upon us, it used to be impossible not to imbibe the spirit of camaraderie and patriotic fervour. Songs were composed and sung.

This country wore attires of blue, black and white whenever the Zebras played, and as time went on, these colours became a permanent dress, game or no game.

That was a long time ago indeed.

It is now a memory. Almost like a folktale, told by elders to grandchildren around fire. The Zebras fan is a haunted individual. Haunted by memory. The present is a nightmare and thus only the past can be beckoned back to serve as an antidote to the current distress.

But who is responsible? We think the Zebras are much a victim of ineptitude of the Botswana Football Association just like the Zebras' fan. But the BFA was not always this unfocused. In fact, for a while in the latter years of the last decade, the BFA seemed to have found the solution to our problem. The youth teams were organised and were making progress. The Under-20 was a success, while the Under-23 team was the talk of the town. At the same time, the senior team was in a mean mood.

When tactician Jelusic Veselin was moved to the junior ranks it seemed the BFA had really worked out a plan to make these steps bear tangible long-term results. After all, all what was needed was to keep the development sides going while continuously feeding new blood into the senior team.

It would seem victory was guaranteed. What happened then? How could the BFA grab defeat from the jaws of victory in this way? The BFA did something unforgivable. It took its eyes off the ball. It somehow thought hiring a coach who had failed it before could work this time around. The national team needed a tactician of a better aptitude. What was needed was an internationally accomplished tactician, otherwise they could have as well have kept Veselin at the senior level. Local coaches have shown that they are equipped to deal with the challenges of junior teams. It was completely reckless to appoint Stanly Tshosane as national coach. All national teams around the world are looking to beef up their technical departments with better equipped coaches, not necessarily local ones. Ask Nigeria, England or South Africa. We are of the view that the BFA should have done three simple things - keep David Bright at Under-23, get an internationally experienced coach for the Zebras while Veselin handles the development side. And then the overall technical director would have had to provide structures to link the three. Ultimately, Tshosane and the Zebras are both victims of the BFA's lack of vision.

                                                                               Today's thought'You never find yourself until you face the truth' Pearl Bailey (American entertainer notable for her sultry singing and mischievous humour.

                                                                                 - 1918-1990)