mmegi

Bondo ponders retirement

Last lap: Bondo has confirmed plans to retire.PIC: KENNEDY RAMOKONE
Last lap: Bondo has confirmed plans to retire.PIC: KENNEDY RAMOKONE

FRANCISTOWN: One of the country’s top referees, Joshua Bondo is considering retirement at the end of the year. Bondo has been linked with the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), amid reports that the party wants him to contest next year's elections in Selebi-Phikwe.

But Bondo denied he wants to go into active politics but confirmed plans to retire. In an interview this week, Bondo indicated that he is exploring the possibility of ending his refereeing reign.

“From October 2, 2023, I will be active. I will be able to officiate CAF-sanctioned matches. It is true that I am considering quitting as a referee at the end of the year.

I, however, do not want to say much because I have to do a lot of consultations before I make a definite decision,” Bondo said. Sources said Bondo is not interested in politics and has set his sights on becoming a refereeing instructor once he retires. “He is currently barred from officiating during Confederation African Football (CAF) matches but his suspension elapses in the first week of October. He will then be reinstated, and he intends that he will continue serving as a referee until December 31, 2023.

That is when he will explore assuming the role of being an instructor,” the source said. Late in March this year, CAF suspended Bondo for six-month for failure to correctly capture data. His assistants, Mogomotsi Morakile, Kitso Sibanda, and Tshepo Gobagoba were suspended for three months each. The Botswana Football Association (BFA) later banned the three from officiating in domestic matches until further notice. Bondo was also the subject of a ‘match-fixing’ investigation by a commission appointed by the BFA. This was after a leaked cellphone audio between Bondo and BFA employee Monnakgotla Mojaki which created insinuations of match-fixing.

The audio made impressions that Mojaki attempted to convince Bondo to influence a local football match. The BFA has not made the audio report public but sources have said that it absolves Bondo of any wrongdoing. Bondo is one of the country’s most decorated referees. He has handled major international assignments such as the COSAFA Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). Despite a controversy-ridden career, he was one of the best referees at the 2021 AFCON finals in Cameroon, where he handled a crucial quarter-final tie between Tunisia and Burkina Faso. Meanwhile, the Botswana National Sports Commission (BNSC) has said that it is waiting for the BFA to deliberate on the ‘match fixing’ investigation report before taking any position on the matter. The report was completed by a three-man commission weeks back and handed to the association. The investigation was commissioned by the BFA after the leaked cell phone audio.

The BFA acted at the command of the BNSC and Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture who boldly told the association to get to the bottom of the matter. BNSC CEO, Tuelo Serufho recently told Mmegi Sport that the commission has received the report from BFA but does not want to discuss it with the media. “We are pleased that the BFA has shared with us a copy of the report, whose contents we have noted,” Serufho said. “We are currently allowing the BFA the opportunity to process the contents of the report and attend to recommendations. While that is happening, we will not interfere with the process,” he added. Asked if the commission will at any point consider making the report public as an interested party, Serufho said the BFA will be best placed to answer the question.

The BFA chief executive officer Mfolo Mfolo recently told Mmegi Sport that the report would not be shared with the public as it has already been shared with the BNSC and the Confederation of African Football who are the key interested parties in the matter. However, the BFA faces mounting pressure from other National Executive Committee members, various football stakeholders and members of the public who are of the view that the report should be made public. There is a concern that failure to publicise the report would bring into question issues of transparency at the association.

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