Instead of flying straight to the second city, the Islanders landed in Gaborone yesterday and will only proceed to Francistown around 9pm tonight. A source close to developments said the Cape Verde team had initially indicated they will fly straight to Francistown, but changed to a larger aircraft, necessitating that they land at the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport. "Initially they were to fly with a 40-member team straight to Francistown but the delegation was increased to 70 which meant they had to change to a larger aircraft. They landed in Gaborone last night and the BFA (Botswana Football Association) now has to make arrangements to fly them to Francistown," the source said.
This means the team will miss the official training session at the match venue, the Obed Itani Chilume Stadium. However, the team can do a walkabout or a feel of the venue before kick-off. "They can only train at the match venue around 6pm today, but that will not happen as the team will still be in Gaborone," the source said. The BFA is expected to make arrangements for Cape Verde to train in Gaborone before flying out to Francistown. BFA president, Tariq Babitseng said they will issue a press statement on the matter. "But they (Cape Verde) should be on time," Babitseng said. The Zebras flew straight to Francistown from Cape Verde yesterday. It is a must-win game for both teams who are on two points and are seen as the contenders for the second and remaining spot required to reach the AFCON finals. Egypt is all but assured of topping the group after winning all their three matches. Mauritania is also on two points but at the bottom due to an inferior goal difference. They play Egypt tomorrow.
