The Botswana Football Association (BFA) has fined Gaborone United for a breach of the foreign player policy during an Orange FA Cup tie against CrackIt City Polar last month.
City Polar had written to the BFA requesting that appropriate action be taken against GU after they fielded a fourth foreign player, Ronel Manyanga. GU had started with three players and ended the match having utilised four, going against the foreign player policy which states that there should be three involved per match. But City Polar will feel hard done after GU only escaped with a fine for the transgression. The FA Cup regulations do not provide for a formal protest, which is why City Polar put in a complaint through the letter. It is then the discretion of the competition’s organising committee to issue a warning, impose a fine, or expel the offending club.
There have been questions on why GU was fined when the regulations state that a team can field three players in the starting line-up, but silent on changes during the game. However, the FA Cup organising committee chairperson, Olebile Sikwane told Mmegi Sport that a circular on the number of foreign players to be fielded at any given time had been circulated to clubs before the competition began. In a letter to City Polar yesterday, Sikwane said GU were in breach of foreign players policy and had, therefore, been appropriately fined, without mentioning the amount. “Further note that the LOC acts within its bounds and imposes sanctions guided by the Orange play rules and regulations as read with the BFA play rules and regulations,” Sikwane said in the letter.
