Mogomotsi Moloi
8 April 2008
Gaborone — Referees' Commission chairman Harris Lebotse has lamented that low remuneration is demoralising match officials and results in failure to retain or attract more people to the profession.
He expressed concern that referees are still paid peanuts despite the good work they do in local football. He said refereeing is a very risky task, therefore it needs good rewards.
The lowest ranked referee is paid a mere P50 per game while FIFA accredited ones get P150 in Botswana. This is in spite of the fact that in some matches, especially in the elite Premier League, gate takings amount to P200,000. In lower divisions, there are no gate takings as games are played in open grounds. Lebotse said regional lower leagues have always struggled to pay referees because they raise no money from gate takings and they have no sponsors.
"The current payments do not satisfy us at all. We always engage in negotiations with the relevant authorities for them to do something but they cite lack of funds," said a senior referee. He said the Botswana Football Association (BFA) is aware of their plight and has promised to do something. Lebotse regrets that it is not easy to retain referees because of poor remuneration. "We need to get to a point where we attract quality referees. But right now, we cannot because of this problem," he lamented. He added that a number of people have shown interest but are demoralised by the low pay.
He said the current crop of referees are not after money. They officiate out of love and passion for football. He said the welfare of referees must be improved. However, he noted that almost all football administrators in Botswana are volunteers, which makes it difficult to negotiate money issues with them. "Sometimes we tend to consider that at least we get something for our efforts while those who form committees running football here get nothing," said Lebotse. But he is quick to mention that volunteerism by others should not be used as an excuse not to pay referees.
Premier League Committee (PLC) secretary Setete Phuthego concurred that referees are paid little money. But he asserts that the responsibility lie with the BFA. "As of now, we do not have referees for strictly Premier League. If we have a complaint towards them we channel it to BFA," said Phuthego. He conceded that Botswana football has grown tremendously and there is need to change some things like paying referees. The BFA official responsible for referees, Puma Matlhware, said the issue of low pay for match officials is a concern but they are dealing with it. He pointed out that unlike the Mascom Premier League, lower divisions competitions do not have sponsorships.
"As you know, we had to ask for more funding from the government previously after we exhausted all the money we had. These clearly shows that we are struggling financially," Matlhware told Mmegi Sport.
He said as they move towards professionalism, they have to safeguard the good spirit displayed by the referees by paying them well. He said this issue needs all stakeholders involved for thorough discussions.
BFA Chief Executive Officer, Tosh Kgotlele concurred with Matlhware and indicated that they are working under a limited budget. He pointed out that there is need to find a sponsor for referees. "There is need for us to secure sponsorship so that referees could be paid well," he said.
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