The local elite league has in the past season been soiled by poor crowd controls, boardroom wrangles, and allegations of biased officiating. Despite the excitement on the pitch, the 2024-2025 campaign has not been spared from these administration shenanigans. Last weekend's league match between Mochudi Centre Chiefs and TAFIC highlighted a major error in fixturing. The game had to be moved to an evening kick-off under the floodlights at the GU Stadium after the Royal Aria Stadium was made unavailable by its custodians, Township Rollers. The GU Stadium proved too small to host the big contest against two teams vying for the league honours. Fans had to find their places just along the touchline and very close to the action on the field due to the non-availability of seats in the arena. During one of TAFIC's goal celebrations, a player was hit with a beer bottle.
Thankfully, with the aid of fellow supporters, the culprit was identified and handed to the police and security personnel. The GU Stadium which has been credited with alleviating stadia shortage around Gaborone, has previously shown signs that it cannot withstand a massive crowd. The TAFIC and GU tie played earlier is a clear example. The safety of fans and all the stakeholders has been compromised due to some incidents that could taint the image of the league and football as a whole. This is despite the efforts and commitment by the Botswana Football League (BFL) to ensure safety. The BFL has since acknowledged the mistake for the Chiefs-TAFIC game and issued an apology. Match officials have also come under the spotlight with some questionable decisions. Referees continue to be under fire with allegations of match fixing from both fans and club officials.
