The biggest talking point of the weekend was the Minister of Youth, Sport, Gender and Culture, Tumiso Rakgare’s choice to participate in a charity match over watching the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between the Zebras and Libya in Francistown.
The 2012 Zebras team was involved in a friendly clash with past Bafana Bafana players at the National Stadium.
The match coincided with the current Zebras crop clashing with Libya in a match of little consequence at the Obed Itani Chilume Stadium. Rakgare chose to stay in the capital rather than make the trip to the second city.
It immediately got the football fraternity talking. In one corner, were those who felt the minister had no obligation to travel and watch the Zebras and that the charity event was a noble cause as the funds are meant to benefit former players who have hit a rough patch. But others argue, the national team must take precedence.
The argument was further accelerated by the inclusion of Botswana’s 2027 AFCON bid. I am unequivocal in going with the second group. For starters, the legends game was not supposed to take place on the same day as the Zebras’ clash, which is what gave birth to the minister’s quagmire. It quickly turned from 'Clash of the Legends' to 'clash of dates'.
The Botswana Football Association (BFA) should hang its head in shame for allowing the ugly situation to unfold. The association cannot claim it was not aware of the legends game, as it was launched right inside the halls of Lekidi Centre. It smacks of remarkable ineptitude and a stinking display of a laisser-faire attitude to allow such to happen and then at the end of the day, pretend as if all is normal. The Zebras, or any other national team represent what the country is about; it is the highest level of competition.
It is, as some say, an intrinsic part of the nation’s culture and therefore, the importance of a national team should be reflected across structures, starting with the top most officials, who include the minister. How will the minister urge people to attend a Zebras match in future when he himself shuns the team? The Zebras are at their lowest moment and need every ounce of support, starting with among others, the minister.
How will Rakgare then talk about patriotism when he shuns a team that represents everything Botswana? Botswana has just put in a bid to host the 2027 AFCON finals and the Zebras were playing in an AFCON qualifier yesterday. Not that the minister’s presence would have done the bid any good, but it was going to show his full commitment to the cause.
The Zebras are the very team that will represent the country if Botswana wins the bid to host the 2027 tournament. The minister, as a very important figure, should have therefore picked the Zebras over the social tournament. It is difficult for him to argue against; it is just inexcusable. Saturday will be recorded as a day the minister decided to 'chill' with a social tournament over a national assignment (pun intended), or just may be, the minister forgot to travel to Francistown.
