the monitor

Why a 42-0 score line should worry women’s football

The weekend 42-0 victory by Gaborone United Ladies team over a hapless Gantsi Swallows should not be a moment of celebration for women’s football in Botswana.

While dominant wins are often framed as proof of excellence, such an extreme score line instead exposes a serious lack of competition within the league. While Gaborone United (GU) cannot be blamed for beating what was put before them, the result highlights weaknesses that threaten the long-term growth, credibility, and attractiveness of the women’s game. Competitive balance is the foundation of any successful football league. When matches consistently end in overwhelming margins, the sport loses its unpredictability and instead becomes predictable and monotonous.

High-scoring games have become the norm rather than the exception with other weekend results showing wide-basketball score like margins.

Editor's Comment
Violence doesn't solve anything!

Our weekly edition carries painful articles of people being murdered. Whilst some are classified as Gender Based Violence (GBV), there are still a large percentage of murder cases, which often happen at drinking spots, after people are heavily intoxicated. We have in the past carried articles where an individual was murdered because they refused to give someone a cigarette, and sadly this is where we are at now!In this very edition, there is an...

Have a Story? Send Us a tip
arrow up