the monitor

Clubs are struggling and dying in plain sight but there is no dialogue

One-by-one clubs that were once dear to a community are vanishing from the surface of the local football landscape.

The remaining ones are struggling to stay afloat while others remain standing in name only. There has been one deadly killer which is found as the common denominator across an unforgiving terrain- financial constraints. The disease starts eating into a club in full public glare until the last days when only a skeleton remains. Ultimately, the once beast of a club crumbles into the ground, never to rise again and sadly the community moves on amid a macabre atmosphere. Despite ignoring the catastrophe, the death of a whole institution leaves a huge gap. For all the warning signs sadly, there has been little public dialogue about what is happening.

Those entrusted with the running of football in this country should be very worried. They should lead the dialogue which has, up to now, largely been reserved for social media commentary mostly by people with little influence on football matters. The death of a football club does not affect its immediate stakeholders like the owners and supporters, it disrupts the entire football ecosystem. By now, one would have expected a symposium which seeks to find firm answers and long lasting solutions to a scourge eating right into the heart of local football. When you are Gaborone United (GU) you might laugh your lungs out at the dark cloud hovering over Township Rollers, but remember, no club is immune to the present challenges.

Editor's Comment
Our digital safety is in our hands

That sounds like good news. But the report also warns that this may simply be because our digital economy is still young, not because we are safe. As more people shop, bank and pay online, criminals will follow.We Batswana do not need a report to tell us that danger is real. Many of us have heard of or fallen victim to KYC scams. A caller impersonates your bank or mobile money provider. They say they need to “verify” your account. They ask...

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