This is the unambiguous statement sent by the Botswana Football League Disciplinary Committee through a ruling handed down to Security Systems coach, David Botlhasitse, last week. The BFL prosecutor, Makungekwa Maswabi set the ball rolling by determining the need to escalate the case to the DC. Botlhasitse was found guilty of using a derogatory word 'lekwerekwere' against Gaborone United goalkeeper coach, Khalid Niyonzima, during a league match last November. The word is recklessly used in today's society as a demeaning way to refer to foreign nationals.
The BFL could have dismissed the matter on the ground that, though undesirable, it's a common society wide practice. But fittingly, the football authorities saw the need to press charges and set an example through Botlhasitse that discrimination has no place in football. In fact, focusing on someone's race, nationality or tribe speaks volume about your character, where assassinating their personality takes precedence over substance. It gives one a false sense of superiority that because you were born within a certain geographical location, or to a certain race or tribe, you are supreme to other beings. But Botlhasitse and others of his ilk know very well that this is a false and dangerous narrative devoid of any truth. However, they still use it to demean other human beings to stroke their inflated egos, or to knock your self-esteem where one is made to feel inferior.
However, Niyonzima, a man who has made significant contributions to the local game and has become part and parcel of its DNA, was not going to take Botlhasitse's remarks lying down. Sadly, there are many others who carelessly discriminate others not just within sport but across other spheres of the community, who get away scot-free. To his credit, Botlhasitse was reportedly remorseful and cooperated with the authorities throughout the disciplinary process. It is good that the Premier League has made it loud and clear that the lush green football fields are not play grounds for discrimination. The local game represents a melting pot of cultures, with players drawn from as far as the Democratic Republic of Congo, and such sons of the soil, must be made to feel welcome as they play their small part in contributing to the growth of Botswana football.
The last thing that football, or any other sport needs are characters that are hell bent on tarnishing the image of the game within a split of a second. Thankfully, the Premier League authorities were alert and acted swiftly. They could have been dismissive of Niyonzima's complaint but they chose to see the bigger picture. Now that a precedent has been set, let the penalties be stiffer in future, including a ban from football or whatever sport, to show that indeed discrimination has no place in football. "Go tshamekelwa kwa," as prominent lawyer, Kgosi Ngakaagae, would say. We have seen the tears of our brothers flow in Europe where they are subjected to endless racial torment, therefore we cannot afford to import it to a 'brother-to-brother' level.
