The Botswana Football League (BFL) has turned to its mother body, the Botswana Football Association (BFA), to act against match official, Mmoloki Sebeela who was a witness in a case of misconduct against Gaborone United director, Nicholas Zakhem.
The case followed a match between GU and BDF XI on February 2, in which Zakhem was accused of attacking match officials at the end of the match. Sebeela was the match commissioner on the day and his report was key in BFL deciding to charge Zakhem and GU. The club and Zakhem were facing four counts of misconduct and the case was heard last Thursday. Seebela is said to have changed his statement during cross-examination, "contradicted the contents of his signed match report, became evasive and defensive," according to a BFL letter to the BFA on the match commissioner's conduct. "He ended up lying under oath in favour of the accused,"
BFL chief executive, Bennett Mamelodi said in the letter addressed to his counterpart at BFA, Mfolo Mfolo. "The effect of Mr Sebeela's conduct was to collapse and plainly kill our case on the basis that our star witness was unreliable and dishonest," the letter further reads. Mamelodi said that faced with the prospect of losing the case due to an unreliable witness, they decided to withdraw the case against GU and Zakhem, leaving the BFL "embarrassed". "What Sebeela did is unacceptable and makes a mockery of our efforts to clean football and maintain law and order, something which our commercial partners demand. We are, therefore, appealing to you (BFA) to assist us resolve this gross misconduct on the part of Mr Sebeela," Mamelodi stated. "Surely you will accept that this is not something that can be allowed to go unpunished. In the meantime, Mr Sebeela should not be included in matches of the Botswana Football League," he wrote. Mfolo confirmed to MmegiSport that they had received the letter from BFL. "Yes, we have received the correspondence yesterday and we are still studying it," he said.
BFL chief executive, Bennett Mamelodi said in the letter addressed to his counterpart at BFA, Mfolo Mfolo. "The effect of Mr Sebeela's conduct was to collapse and plainly kill our case on the basis that our star witness was unreliable and dishonest," the letter further reads. Mamelodi said that faced with the prospect of losing the case due to an unreliable witness, they decided to withdraw the case against GU and Zakhem, leaving the BFL "embarrassed". "What Sebeela did is unacceptable and makes a mockery of our efforts to clean football and maintain law and order, something which our commercial partners demand. We are, therefore, appealing to you (BFA) to assist us resolve this gross misconduct on the part of Mr Sebeela," Mamelodi stated. "Surely you will accept that this is not something that can be allowed to go unpunished. In the meantime, Mr Sebeela should not be included in matches of the Botswana Football League," he wrote. Mfolo confirmed to MmegiSport that they had received the letter from BFL. "Yes, we have received the correspondence yesterday and we are still studying it," he said.
