Football and controversy's greatest hits
Tuesday, March 25, 2025 | 60 Views |
. You can change the faces but it seems, not the modus operandi at the Lekidi Football Centre. In Animal Farm, when Mr Jones left, there was hope for change, but before the book ends, the old habits return in even more ruthless fashion. At the BFA, the issue of Zebras allowances is as old as the millennials and it has been the elephant in the room for successive BFA administrations. All take to the campaign trail with a simple message of sweeping the controversy-riddled association clean, but end up battling the same old demons. Tariq Babitseng was jettisoned into the top football seat on September 14, but the jury is still out. He has faced little scrutiny, partly due to the fact that he replaced an administration that had grown authoritarian and almost every football stakeholder wanted to see its back. Again, Babitseng's arrival was overshadowed by a significant milestone when the country saw a change of political power for the first time in 58 years.
The BFA president, has therefore operated under the radar, often escaping the preying eyes of the media. But sooner or later, he has to face difficult questions as events at Lekidi Centre point to a leopard struggling to change its spots. But are there any attempts to shed the spots in the first place? The football family voted in the Babitseng administration feeling he could be a decisive driver of change. What has Babitseng done thus far to warrant the confidence of the scores that handed him the right to preside over the administration of local football? The president's defence force would be quick to say any critics belong to the previous regime and are therefore enemies of progress. But that is immaterial and should not stop critical questions. Babitseng and his executive should be prepared to face criticism, walk up to the mirror and have an honest look.
According to both the acting director of Veterinary Services, Kobedi Segale and acting Lands and Agriculture minister, Edwin Dikoloti, the virus currently raging through the North-East mostly likely first entered the country during the festive season.From the “unprecedented” number of cases picked in testing last week, it is likely that cattle and other livestock could have been infected last year, without being reported.Animal health...