Zebras: where it all began

| Monday March 28, 2011 00:00

 

Botswana came in the very final group K, with only four teams in the group then, with the other being Tunisia, Malawi and Chad.Having won the AFCON and appearing in numerous finals in the past, Tunisia was the clear favourites to qualify from the group. Perhaps the North Africans' only threat to qualification was Malawi, who had shown tremendous improvement lately appearing in the 2010 AFCON hosted by Angola.

CAF dropped another 'bombshell' before the beginning of the qualifiers.  Togo, which has been suspended by CAF at the beginning of the year, saw their suspension lifted and they were a last-minute addition to group K, which now had five teams. Now the slightest hope that the Zebras would sneak to the finals evaporated. Togo is considered another African powerhouse.  The Togolese had managed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup and having a couple of international stars in their side, the race for the top two spots in the group was now considered between them and the Tunisians.

Back home all was not smooth. Retired army Lt Colonel Stanley Tshosane had just started building a new team, blending a mixture of youngsters mostly graduating from the junior teams with a few old faces that had don the Zebras' colours for a while now. To say the team's performance at the time was unsatisfactory would be an understatement. Yes,Tshosane had just taken over from Briton Colwyn Rowe, after a string of bad results. Even with Stan at the helm though, Doubting Thomases were many. Not surprising, since Stan had no previous shining record at international level.

Besides, his BDF XI side had just survived relegation by stroke of luck, cuing many to dismiss Tshosane as unfit enough to bring the much-needed glory. The inclusion of Togo in group K complicated things even further for the Zebras. This meant the group had to start their games ahead of other groups. The team was not prepared. The Botswana Football Association (BFA)'s efforts to organise friendly matches with some tough opposition became fruitless as many countries were busy preparing for the World Cup that was to be hosted in neighbouring South Africa in June 2010.

The team had in the previous year managed to take advantage of the Confederations Cup and played two friendly matches with Iran and New Zealand. Both matches ended in dull draws, 1-1 against Iran on July 5, 2009 and a 0-0 draw against the Socceroos.  Meanwhile, slowly but surely the Zebras reached the semi-finals of the COSAFA cup where they were eliminated by Zimbabwe in the semi-finals.

The AFCON qualifiers started with a tricky fixture against Tunisia. The Zebras had to play their first qualifiers match, away to Tunisia on July 1. The team played their last friendly match against Zambia on a Sunday afternoon before departing silently to Tunisia the following day. No one seemed to care as the World Cup was now on full swing. The Zebras would hold Zambia to a goalles draw in Molepolole. Coach Tshosane was a worried man after that match, but still expressed hope they would do well.

He identified finishing as one major problem his team was facing. The team created chances but the strikers were always shy in front of goal. Silently, the team left for Tunisia but shocking news reached the world-Botswana had stung Tunisia 1-0 in Tunis, thanks to a fine goal by Jerome Ramatlhakwana. The Zebras would host Chad a week later on July 9. Despite an average performance on the field under a full house this time around, the team managed another 1-0 win over Chad, six points from 2 games.

A surprise to many, the Zebras were still on top of the group. Their next assignment would be an away trip to Malawi on August 11 where they settle for a 1-1 draw and remain top of the group.  By now people had started taking note of the team's delivery on the pitch and hopes were rising. The Zebras were home to Togo on September 4 and managed to defeat the visitors 2-1 at the UB stadium. The team had now played four games of the first round and amassed 10 points, an achievement many thought would be impossible for the local lads.

Tunisia would declare war with revenge on their minds when they visited the Zebras for the second round tie on November 17. But as it has become the norm, they went home with their heads down after suffering another 1-0 loss. The dream had now become realistic.