Botswana buoyant after impressive COPA Coca-Cola show

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The Botswana team that competed in the just-ended COPA Coca-Cola Under-19 soccer tournament in South Africa returned home with their heads high after reaching the finals for the first time.

The team lost the final 3-1 to the hosts. Botswana players recovered from an average performance in the group stages where they finished fourth to become giant slayers in the knockout phase of the competition, forcing their way to the finals. Prior to the tournament, the team spent one week training in Johannesburg.

Botswana was drawn in the same group with Uganda, Zambia, Kenya, Angola and an invitational team. Botswana finished fourth in the group and proceeded to the quarterfinals where they beat tournament favourites, Tanzania by a solitary goal to book a place in the semis. Tanzania were installed favourites after finishing top of their group, which included powerhouses Nigeria and South Africa. In the semi-finals, Botswana beat Zambia 2-1 before falling 3-1 to South Africa in the finals. The team got a rare opportunity to watch the World Cup group tie between Ghana and Serbia on Sunday before returning home on Monday evening.

Editor's Comment
Human rights are sacred

It highlights the need to protect rights such as access to clean water, education, healthcare and freedom of expression.President Duma Boko, rightly honours past interventions from securing a dignified burial for Gaoberekwe Pitseng in the CKGR to promoting linguistic inclusion. Yet, they also expose a critical truth, that a nation cannot sustainably protect its people through ad hoc acts of compassion alone.It is time for both government and the...

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