While the desire to cash into the 2010 World Cup in South Africa has resulted in the country trying to construct its infrastructure to benefit from the spinoffs, this has also exposed our almost non-existent infrastructure. All of a sudden, it has dawned on our authorities that we do not have the stadia and most of our major road networks are in a bad state.

Thanks to the World Cup, some of these facilities such as the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport, Kasane and, Francistown Airport the Tlokweng Metsimotlhabe road and a few others around the city will be upgraded.

The University of Botswana and the National Stadium have been closed to allow for massive refurbishment. The mad rush to upgrade all these facilities in one fell swoop has resulted in an acute shortage of stadia. With the BDF stadium at the Sir Seretse Khama barracks, UB stadium and the national stadium unavailable, football fans from in and around Gaborone have been forced to travel long distances to places such as Molepolole and Lobatse, often at great risk. The Molepolole road is under construction and the stretch between Mogoditshane and Metsimotlhabe has been reduced to a narrow path, often resulting in heavy traffic jams or worse accidents that even claim people's lives.

Over the weekend, a mouth watering football clash between reigning champions, Mochudi Centre Chiefs and BDF XI was slated for Jwaneng. With just three games left before the end of the season, any game is decisive, particularly games that involve contenders.

Unfortunately, on the way back, a car in which the fans were travelling was involved in a head-on collision.

There has been loss of lives. It is during these times of grief that our emotions tend to have the better of us.

It is understandable that the football authorities have very little choice; they have to conclude fixtures for a league that started late and yet there are no stadia. At times they are forced to schedule games in far off places as they did in the BDF and Centre Chiefs game. We believe that it was not advisable to take a game of this magnitude to Jwaneng, particularly during monthend and a midweek holiday.

It should have been clear that the roads will be congested and many fans will want to travel and they will definitely come late at night, exposed to great risk of accidents. The overriding view when scheduling games should always be the safety of fans, not only at the stadia, but also when driving back. Fixtures such as the one held over the weekend were laden with major risks.

Most fans would drive from Gaborone, Mogoditshane and Mochudi to attend the game and the organisers should have known this. Its all very well to implore football fans to travel when it is safe, to be patient and to be extra vigilant when driving on the roads, but the organisers will do well to ensure that they do not expose fans to driving at dangerous times.

Today's Thought

Football is the opera of the people.