BFA has done well - Fani

| Friday October 28, 2011 00:00

 

Mmegi Sport: How can you rate your term in office thus far?Fani: The right people to judge will be the people we serve. In this case, the members of the BFA and other stakeholders in the game. Those are people who can pronounce whether we have delivered or not. But my point of view is that we have done well in serving the football fraternity even with the constraints we have. One could mention the successful Goal Project II, through which we were able to put up a hostel block at Lekidi Centre. Under my presidency in 2003, we managed to construct the Lekidi Centre. We have now gone a step further.

Unfortunately there was a long gap, between the first goal and the second (when Fani wasn't the president).Otherwise we could be talking about Goal Project Four or Five. What we have done is also keep the football family together. We ensured that leagues are played and completed successfully. We have met the mandate to ensure that football is played. Sponsorship has also improved, e.g. Coca-Coca, Orange and be MOBILE. We know there are challenges when it comes to regional football, for example First Division sponsorship, and the issue of the referees, which the executive is addressing. For the first time in the history of football our national team qualified for the AFCON, in grand style. We lost only once. It's a huge achievement, which Batswana should be proud of. But despite these achievements, challenges still remain particularly resource constraints, for instance, facilities and finance.

Mmegi Sport: What are you doing to boost BFA coffers, other than the grant that you receive from the government?Fani: There are other revenue streams other than the money we get from the government. We get funding from FIFA and also from gate-takings. As you would know, revenue from gates has been affected by the unavailability of stadia. The executive committee is constantly looking at ways to generate funds. When we have specific events like the COSAFA Under-20 we try and involve other entities (in a bid to maximise revenue). We have tried to engage the Botswana National Sports Council (BNSC) to get new funding formulae for football. We have also renegotiated our sponsorship deals, which have been substantially increased.

Mmegi Sport: Is this a pressure job?Fani: It is, even though it really shouldn't. If we stick to proper governance procedures it shouldn't be. If you look back, the person who used to take the pressure was the CEO (Chief Executive Officer). During the days of (Ashford) Mamelodi, it was not like this. You hardly saw the President under the kind of pressure I have been subjected to. People back then understood that the executive committee operated as a body. The important thing for us is to capacitate the Secretariat so that the executive committee is relieved of the day-to-day running of the office and focus on providing strategic leadership.

Mmegi Sport: Do you think there is petty politics, which in the ends affect the way the association is run? Fani: I think yes, there is. The expectation from the football fraternity after election is that, we should pull in one direction ,but I am not sure if we are achieving that. If you look at the criticism, it is as if people are waiting for opportunities (to criticise).

Mmegi Sport: But do you think the criticism is justified?Fani: I believe in constructive criticism, but the way people are doing at the moment, it is not proper. For instance, people place praise for the team's qualification elsewhere and don't spread the credit accordingly. The executive committee is forgotten and praise goes to the technical team, players and others, but not the committee. People forget that when the coach was appointed there was an uproar, but we stood by our decision. It was after we did well in the qualifiers that people started to believe that Stan Tshosane was the right person for the job. As much as I believe in criticism, at times I feel the executive committee is unfairly criticised.

Mmegi Sport: Did you feel let down by what Tshosane said in public regarding your lack of support for the Zebras?Fani: We (as the committee) felt that there was an oversight that we have come a long way. We have supported the coach from day one, we gave him the resources that he needed...

Mmegi Sport: But if you gave him the resources that he needed why did he complain?Fani: My expectation was that he should have come to the executive committee if there is anything he is unhappy about. I have personally said he should come to us if there is an issue. I was taken aback when he gave the interview to Btv (Botswana Television) even before talking to me. What I found a bit disappointing is that I had told him days before he gave that interview that we were trying to get an international friendly during that weekend.

Mmegi Sport: After what Tshosane said, have you sat down to iron out the issue?Fani: That has not happened; we are still trying to arrange a meeting with him. After the interview, he attended a coaching course, then immediately left for South Africa to meet respective coaches of Zebras players.

Mmegi Sport: There are critics who say your committee is prone to blunders?Fani: There have been administrative lapses and we have never denied that. But the lapses are not directly attributable to the executive committee; there are administrative lapses from the Secretariat. It goes back to the question of the BFA president's position being a pressure  job. We have to account for lapses made by the Secretariat.

Mmegi Sport: Why this sudden shift where the focus is now on the president and not the CEO?Fani: It is something I can't really explain. I have asked myself why things have changed, but unfortunately I don't have an answer.

Mmegi Sport: Are you seeking re-election next year?Fani: I have not made up my mind as to whether I'll make myself available for re-election. As much as there has been a fair degree of success there is still a lot that needs to be done. I am not suggesting, by any means, that I am the only one who can do it, but there are plans that we sold to the people, which are yet to be implemented.

Mmegi Sport: When are you likely to make a decision?Fani: I have to introspect and consult, but I should make a decision in due course.

Mmegi Sport: If you are to seek re-election, is there anything you want to do better?Fani: Overall we are not off track. We have documents, which guide us on what needs to be done. As much as there won't be drastic changes, we learn as we move along. Yes, the scope for change and improvement is there.

Mmegi Sport: There is a feeling that while you are an unassuming character, you are not assertive, what is your reaction?Fani: If people refer to assertive to mean aggressive, then I think they are looking at two different things. When you deal with other people you don't necessarily have to bang tables. Yes, once in a while you have to do that, but I believe as the executive committee we have asserted ourserlves well.

Mmegi Sport: Why is there a high turnover of CEOs at BFA?Fani: We have not sat down to introspect and review the issue. We probably need someone independent to come and look at BFA. It could be the set-up, processes or recruitment, which result in us not getting the right person. I can only speculate without any back-up findings. We need someone to come and look at our set-up and make recommendations.

Mmegi Sport: Have you searched externally for the CEO?Fani: No, we have not but we received applications from abroad. We consider applications regardless of nationality.

Mmegi Sport: The regions feel neglected, as evidenced by the Fobby Radipotsane saga, yet during your campaign this was your focal point?Fani: I don't believe there was an uproar from the regions. What Fobby said was not representative, it was his view.

Mmegi Sport: But do you think you have done enough for the regions?Fani: I'll come to that just now, in terms of what regions complained about, their issues have been addressed. For instance, we have appointed someone specifically to represent the regions and act as a link. But we are the first to admit that there is a lot to be done to serve the regions, for instance, the issue of sponsorship. I think we have improved in terms of being accessible to the region. We assist them with grants so that they are able to run their activities. We know it's not enough, but we make them understand that's what we can afford.

Mmegi Sport: When are we going to see BFA bidding to host the AFCON finals, there was a feeling that an opportunity to host the 2015 event was lost?Fani: We tried to bid for 2015 and we have learnt a lot in terms of government processes in dealing with a request that requires a major investment from the state. Decisions cannot be taken as quickly as you want. The government needed more time to look at the pros and cons. I still believe in terms of facilities we are still short.Apart from requiring a new stadium, we need training facilities, that is, grounds with turf. Bidding for AFCON finals remains priority for us, unfortunately, 2015 and 2017 are gone we are now looking at 2019 and 2021 events.

Mmegi Sport: Do you think the issue of players' welfare has been adequately addressed going into a major tournament like the AFCON finals?Fani: I think in terms of meeting players' needs, considering resource constraints, the BFA has done its best, although challenges remain.  I'll be the first to admit that there is a lot to be done. We really take all our national teams seriously and we try our best, but the resources are not adequate.

Mmegi Sport: Some players have been called unpatriotic for demanding better treatment while on national duty.Do you think their demands are outrageous?Fani: I think players' demands are reasonable, particularly the issue of insurance. If we compare what other players are getting, we are not right up there. We advocate for players to be adequately compensated. We should show gratitude for the services they render. I think their demands are justified and we continue to look at these issues, particularly as we approach the AFCON finals.

Mmegi Sport: Can you promise the nation that the team will be adequately prepared come the AFCON finals?Fani: Yes, we can assure the nation that we will be ready. We want to make the team's preparations public, although not in detail as we don't want to expose our strategy to our opponents.