The Voice (Francistown)
6 May 2008
Zebras Coach, Colywn Rowe, is owed P200 000 (US $33, 000) in bonuses by the Botswana Football Association. And the bonus is ten months late.
The football administrators had promised to pay Rowe by the end of July 2007, and if they don't cough up the amount in another two months, the bill may double to P400, 000 as the Zebras couch is expecting another US$33,000 at the end of July 2008.
According to reliable sources, the BFA should have paid the coach his first annual bonus in July 2007 and up to now the coach hasn't received his dues. A source within BFA told The Voice that the only money paid to the coach so far has been his outstanding salary and, as for the bonuses, it looks like he won't be paid anytime in the near future.
Rowe himself wouldn't be drawn into discussing what the association owes him as there is a clause in the contract barring him from disclosing such confidential information to the media.
The BFA Chief Executive Officer, Tosh Kgotlele, wouldn't be drawn to discuss information surrounding the coach's dues.
"I wasn't there last year in July and I wouldn't say a word on that. I can only confirm that we are paying the coach his monthly salary without failure every month. I think we shouldn't discuss such issues because they don't help our football grow. It is just dragging the name of the good sport in the mud; it's like washing your dirty linen in public. I can't discuss such issues," was Kgotlele's response.
Kgotlele said their priority is to give the coach every support he needs, things like calling players to camp well on time and organizing international friendlies.
"Just recently, we took the coach to Cairo, Egypt, where he met with other experts in the coaching world to learn and share ideas; those are things that we give priority to. As for the bonus, it is an internal issue and I will never discuss such information," Kgotlele told Voice Sport.
On the issue of whether they have discussed the performance of the national team in any of their meetings, be it with the coach or any other football officials, Kgotlele explained that that is another of those internal issues that he could not reveal to the media.
Of the last three games, including the Brasilia select game, the Zebras haven't been pulling the best crowds and while this is a worrying factor, Kgotlele doesn't want to believe the fact that the coach's incentives, which he is owed, may just bring the coaches morale down as well as that of the players.
The coming Africa Nations Championships against Zambia will see the covered stand at the stadium costing P70 with the popular eastern Pandamatenga stand costing P40 and P30 elsewhere.
"The fact that we haven't been pulling crowds has nothing to do with entrance fees. I believe we should compare apples with apples; those games were friendlies and this is a CAF game so it is of higher magnitude," Kgotlele reasoned.
The BFA boss wouldn't agree that the coming game is also of less importance as it features only locally-based players.
"I don't think this game is not that important. It is a CAF game. We incur expenses and we don't have any other means of having our money back and we have to do our best to recover the money we spend on camping and travel arrangements as well as all the other expenses that go with hosting such games."
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