Overgrown BPL due for 'haircut'

Gilport Lions were woeful and duty relagated as calls to reduce teams grow
Gilport Lions were woeful and duty relagated as calls to reduce teams grow

The decision to increase teams from 12 to 16 in 2004, was largely seen as a benevolent measure, meant to rescue two ailing giants, Township Rollers and Gaborone United, who were then, knee-deep in the dusty grounds of First Division. But that decision, after serving that cosmetic purpose, has now turned into an unwanted baggage, as a 16-team league has become increasingly unsustainable, writes MQONDISI DUBE

After Nico United’s Leagile ‘Ziza’ Mogwera winner condemned the country’s most successful team, Township Rollers, to a painful relegation in 2004, there was immediate soul searching.

It spread from Mma Masire, the club’s base, and contaminated other teams who were sympathetic to Rollers’ cause, amongst them, Gaborone United (GU). The Reds had been wallowing in the First Division for five uninterrupted seasons and Rollers were about to join as a partner-in-crime.

Editor's Comment
Closure as pain lingers

March 28 will go down as a day that Batswana will never forget because of the accident that occurred near Mmamatlakala in Limpopo, South Africa. The tragedy affected not only the grieving families but the nation at large. Batswana throughout the process stood behind the grieving families and the governments of Botswana and South Africa need much more than a pat on the back.Last Saturday was a day when family members said their last goodbyes to...

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