. 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.
The BFA should be distinctly different in terms of its outlook, not just to focus on the wrongs of the previous government. Only last week, we heard how a match commissioner decided to disregard his own report and in the process throwing spanners in the works of a disciplinary case involving Gaborone United and its director, Nicholas Zakhem. It is a case of one step forward and five steps back. Football always finds a way back into the negative headlines. The weekend statements from BFA chief executive officer, Mfolo Mfolo, and second vice president, Tico Kamati over the Zebras' state are a microcosm of wider underlying challenges. Football should be riding the crest of the wave following the Zebras and Mares qualification to the Africa Cup of Nations finals, but instead, the nation is now held captive under the usual shenanigans. It's baffling how local football has been able to constantly produce controversy's greatest hits.
