Mosah Mokganedi
14 April 2008
Gaborone — Clubs have denied accusations by the Botswana Softball Association (BSA) that they have boycotted the league. The league was scheduled to start last month.
BSA spokesperson Pako Maforaga said the competition could not kick-off because clubs said they will not take part. He said the clubs demanded the money they contributed to finance the league last year. Each club contributed P1,000 after BSA failed to get sponsors for the league. It was agreed that the BSA should use the contributions to raise more funds to cater for the prize money at the end of the league. However, the association failed to honour the agreement hence clubs want their money back.
Kumbulani Palalani of Paper Club confirmed that they want a refund but denied that they threatened not to take part in the league because of the money issue. He accused the BSA of using the late contribution by some clubs as an excuse to explain why they have not raised more funds. "By September last year all the clubs had contributed and we believe BSA could have raised money before the end of the league," Palalani said.
He said that even if the association could not reach its target, it should have tried to raise money because half a loaf is better than nothing. Palalani pleaded with BSA to tell the truth about money. "If they have used it (money) on anything that is of benefit to softball, we will understand," he said. Vikings' coach, Augustine Peloewetse denied that they boycotted the league but said when the competition was supposed to start, some clubs said they were not ready. "We never said we will not take part in the league. We are ready. It is only that we could not play because there is no team to play," Peloewetse said. He added that they will take part in the competition as soon as other clubs are ready. However, he was reluctant to discuss the issue of money saying they trust that they will be refunded.
BDF IX chairperson, Montwedi Simon said they have not boycotted the league because they were told it will start after the AGM. He is neither against BSA keeping the money nor giving it back. He said it is important that the association informs clubs about the money and how it intends to run this year's league. He is puzzled why BSA cannot reimburse money to clubs.
But Maforaga feels that southern clubs are deliberately trying to make things tough for the association as they are not even interested in talking because all they want is their money. He would not say what will happen if clubs refused to take part in the league. "Clubs should realise that we are all stakeholders in this game and refusing to take part in the league means they will be killing their own sport," he warned. Contrary to what BSA president Tirelo Mukokomani said in a previous interview, Maforaga said there will be no refund to clubs.
He said they still believe self-sponsorship is the way to go and they will use the money contributed by clubs last year to raise more funds. He admitted that the BSA blundered by not stipulating a deadline for the contributions.
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