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Botswana: First Cut : The ailments of TAFIC
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Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone)
14 March 2008
Posted to the web 17 March 2008
Dennis Keagile
Gaborone
Just when many thought TAFIC have got their act together after parting ways with coach Godfrey Tamirepi and roping in Ntime Ntime, the wheels seem to be quickly coming off from the Red Devils of north.
Suddenly TAFIC have become one of the relegation candidates and might be headed out of the Mascom Premier League because if my memory serves me well, Matjimenyenga are not very good at avoiding the axe. By the look of things, every two season, the club has to fight relegation. This means it has failed to find a long lasting solution to its relegation woes. And, the sooner they get their act together the better. I do not understand why TAFIC as the pride of the north and one of the oldest clubs in the region cannot have a sustainable run in the league.
Where has all the goodwill gone such that the business community can not bankroll the club? Since the departure of Geoffrey Maygillip some 10 years or so ago, Matjimenyenga have been very inconsistent. One season they are good and the next they are struggling. I am now convinced that there is something wrong that both the TAFIC general membership and the club's management are not doing right. It cannot always be the technical bench all the time. I do not understand why Bernard Thote, the long-serving president and at times financier cannot impose his business skills on the way the club is run. I am sure he has spent thousands of pula in helping the club. The club's continued poor run means that some Francistown fans are switching allegiances to the likes of Township Rollers, Mochudi Centre Chiefs, Extension Gunners, Notwane and Gaborone United.
Supporters love a winning team. If their team perpetually under-performs then they decamp to others that can give them joy. Last year, ECCO City Greens stole the thunder from TAFIC but this year Matjimenyenga were supposed to get their act together. A serious introspection is needed. Currently people are quick to blame the technical crew claiming there are too many of them. This is more like shifting the blame.
I am of the view that it was thought the crowded technical bench will work from the onset and it seemed to be working as the club once had a good run spanning four games in a row. My impression is that the management thought that the trio at the technical bench will compliment each other and TAFIC are not the only team with such a structure. This should work because many hands on deck means that all the players can get the necessary attention from the technical team. I would therefore point my accusing finger at the club's management and supporters for not doing enough to give the technical team support.
And if I may ask, where is the resilience because the slogan Matjimenyenga figuratively means resilience. Literally it means eating pap without relish. In other words it says whatever the odds, the club can soldier on.
This year's relegation battle will be a fierce contest. Nico United are definitely on the rise and Mogoditshane Fighters are doing relatively well. The only team which one can be certain of relegation is Jwaneng Comets. The rest is anybody's guess.
BNSC Awards
It is all systems go for the BNSC/Orange sports awards at the GICC on Saturday night. The notable entrant is that of Major David Bright as a contestant for the coach of the year award. For long, some sections of the football community have tried to cast aspersions on the modalities used for selecting winners. What they have always overlooked is that if someone competes internationally and brings medals, he or she cannot be compared to a winner in a local competition. In fact the pinnacle of any athlete is to compete with the best that the world can offer. I wonder if Cape Town Santos would have given Bright a chance if he had not done wonders with the national Under-23 side.
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I tend to think it was solely on the basis of his performance with the Under-23 that impressed the South Africans. So next time when football people complain, they should be realistic and objective. The local standards cannot be compared to the international standards. Good luck to all the entrants.
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