Mosah Mokganedi
17 April 2008
The trip by Mafolofolo to participate in the Africa Women Club Championship in Cairo, Egypt at the end of the month hangs in the balance because of financial reasons.
Coach Kabo Ntshinogang said that so far, they do not have enough money to travel to the continental championships. Mafolofolo will be representing Zone VI at the competition. Ntshinogang said they are still running around to get more money for the trip. The club needs about P30,000 to top up the P100,000 they expect from the Botswana Volleyball Federation (BVF). Ntshinogang said they are talking with two companies to help fund the trip. "We are still negotiating and it is promising," he stated. He expressed worry that they are going to buy tickets at a higher price if they pay for them late. He said they cannot book tickets early because they are not sure if they will make the trip. However, the club has already confirmed participation and this means should they fail to take part, the country will be punished by the continental volleyball governing body.
Mafolofolo last took part in the same tournament in Egypt last year where they finished seventh out of eight countries. However, Ntshinogang believe this time round, they are more prepared and they will do better if they can make the trip. He added that they know most of the teams they are going to play against and they will have little problems at the competition. He said though her girls did not play international friendly matches to prepare for the event, he is confident that the training they underwent with their male teammates is enough. He said the team started preparations in February. "Of course it is a big tournament. We needed to have trained very hard, but where will we get money for training when we even do not have enough for the trip," he said. The tournament was initially billed for Kenya but was moved to Egypt because of political instability in the East African country. It starts on April 28 and ends on May 2.
Mafolofolo captain Tshepo Serwe believes they are for battle though the tournament will be tough since it pits African volleyball giants. "We will try our best and if we fail, we will fail like any other team," she said. The BVF said it is aware of Mafolofolo's situation and at the time of going to press, they were not in a position to say how it will be resolved. Mafolofolo is not the only club that has a problem participating in continental competitions. Recently BDF VI failed to take part in the men's edition of the Africa Club Championship in Libya because of financial reasons.
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