Rantao becomes the first Motswana to receive an appointment to the world sport arbitration body. "A well-known attorney in Botswana, Rantao is one of the country's foremost human rights and constitutional lawyers whose cases and other works are internationally acclaimed. We have no doubt that his technical depth, his ability, and his sense of fairness will positively impact the world of sports through his well-reasoned judicial opinions. Rantao has a long history of voluntary work. He is also not new to sports judicial structures," the Botswana Football Association (BFA) said in a statement released today.
Rantao has previously served as a member of the Africa Zone VI Anti-Doping panel, a position which he left in 2021. He was key in the drafting of the BFA, Botswana National Sport Commission and Botswana National Olympic Committee constitutions, and has been the Botswana Premier League chief prosecutor. He is the current chair of the COSAFA disciplinary committee. He also chairs the BFA Arbitration Tribunal. "In all these positions, Rantao has demonstrated a deep sense of duty coupled with a passion for volunteerism in football judicial structures. As a result of his appointment to CAS, Rantao will immediately vacate his positions at COSAFA and BFA," the BFA said.
