Mosah Mokganedi
9 April 2008
Gaborone — The Botswana Netball Association (BONA) executive committee has suspended two BDF Cats players because of misbehaviour.
This means the affected players Kagisano Mawela and Gaedupe Ramaja will not take part in the first round of the 2008-2009 league. Their club has been fined P150 for not instilling discipline in players. It is alleged that during the Motor Centre finals between Cats and TASC of Francistown this year, Mawela and Ramaja threatened umpire Princess Mophakedi. TASC won the game and this did not go down well with the players who felt the umpire cheated their team. Mawela is said to have dropped the ball angrily after Mophakedi charged her for a foul. It is said Mawela crossed her fingers and swore at Mophakedi. She allegedly grabbed the umpire who had to be rescued from her clutches. However, Mawela denied grabbing Mophakedi saying she only held her hand.
Ramaja is said to have threatened Mophakedi after the game after hearing that the umpire and other match officials were celebrating TASC's win.
The two players and the umpire have been given seven days to appeal the decision if they are not satisfied with the outcome. Unsporting behaviour has become the order of the day at netball games in recent times to the chagrin of BONA marketing and publicity officer, Bakwena Oitsile who said the association has decided to form a Disciplinary Committee (DC) to handle the problem. He said unlike in the past, it seems more teams are engaged in unsporting behaviour. He hopes that the punishment of the two players and Cats will send a stern warning to other clubs.
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