No new faces at Buffaloes, Prisons XI

CHIPPA LEGODIMO
Staff Writer | Friday February 3, 2012 00:00

Prisons coach, Digger Montwedi has confirmed to Mmegi Sport that no new players were recruited by the warders adding that he also has retained his squad as no player left.

'We missed the deadline because management was slow to release funds for some of my targets, but I hear there is a possibility of an extension to the transfer window and maybe then I would be able to get the players I needed,' Montwedi said.However, Montwedi is confident his charges would be ready to continue their quest for promotion when the league resumes after the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament ends on February 12. 'I still have my whole squad and though I had wanted to add a few players I am not too worried because the same players had done the job for me before the break,' he said.  Buffaloes have also not registered any new players with only a few returnees rejoining the team from their loan spells.

Buffaloes coach, Jetta Masobe has said the players he tried to recruit were demanding high signing fees, which his team could not afford.'You know how some players are spoilt. They would demand P 30, 000 and a few weeks later they come back and say they did not have training boots.They are within their rights to do that, but a team like Buffaloes do not have money, we just had to give up. But luckily I only lost one defender, David Tsheko, who joined Notwane,' he said.

Masobe said he was confident his charges were ready to step up their promotion charge and is optimistic that history would not be repeated as his team has a reputation of often fading in the later stages.However, the Buffaloes coach was worried that since the league abruptly stopped following conflict between the referees and Botswana Football Association (BFA), nothing has been communicated to the teams.'Right now we do not even know if we would have to complete the first round games which were not played or we would start the second round and go back to those games later,' Masobe said with a sense in despair.

Meanwhile, league chairman Tariq Babitseng has also said he was still to get feedback from BFA following the December 17 meeting between the referees and the national executive committee. He would not say when the league would re-start either.The two parties are reported to have agreed on a conditional compromise after the referee demanded to be transported to games.Babitseng assured the teams that he would give them information as soon as he has met with BFA officials on the issue.