The Selebi-Phikwe side lasted only one season and was officially relegated last week after a 2-1 loss to Notwane.Sambandawe admitted that they woke up late, which cost them their place in top flight football. He said they found teams, which had stable finances and squads and therefore it was always going to be difficult to compete."We started our Premier League campaign with the material that we were using in the lower division and they could not match the competition. Other teams had an advantage over us because we came from a league that does not have a sponsor," he said. Sambandawe noted that despite being given a grant by the Botswana
Premier League (BPL), it came late and they had to wait for the transfer window to open and by then, the team was behind on points. He said their promotion to the Premier League was largely unexpected which probably caught them off guard as they did not prepare the way they would have wanted.
During their stay in the premier league, the team parted ways with three coaches, Stanford Ntini, Duncan Tshegofatso and Dalubuhle Bhebhe. Sambandawe decried the lack of support from local businesses and said if the situation persisted, the team will not last in the top flight every time it is promoted. He said following their demotion, they know they will lose players and their policy is not to stand in the way of individuals seeking greener pastures elsewhere. Satmos has a formidable squad, which has the likes of Mkhululu Moyo, Qinani and Mgcini Sibanda. Since joining Satmos in January, Qinani proved to be the club's best signing with his dribbling skills, pace and power which culminated in a hat-trick against Mogoditshane Fighters.
Sambandawe noted that when teams come knocking, they would release the players because they would also recruit from other teams.
"Satmos is a team that believes more in development and we will continue with that principle," he said. The Cheetahs play TAFIC this weekend and Sambandawe has warned their remaining opponents not to expect any favours.
Meanwhile, Miscellaneous spokesperson, Solomon 'Taliba' Dikgang has lashed out at the league's decision to postpone their game against Uniao Flamengo Santos.
He said their team is fighting relegation and it is therefore unfair to postpone their matches at this time of the season. He claimed this might be a conspiracy to have Miscellaneous relegated as other teams are collecting points, while they are inactive, which might put them under pressure. Dikgang observed that teams from the South do not like travelling to the North and always come up with excuses."We were shocked to learn that Santos claimed that our contract at Itekeng stadium had expired. That is not true and how can they be worried about the stadium when they are not the hosts?" he said.
