Dennis Keagile
6 November 2009
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It is this kind of mentality that has resulted in Botswana sport lagging behind. For too long, sport in this country has been led by people who lacked the necessary influence either within the corporate sector or the political sphere.
Sport in Botswana is still crying out for people with a high profile to help change perceptions of many people, especially the elderly. I was very hopeful that Seretse would help in this regard as an MP and BFA official. Now he is saying he must leave the BFA post because he could be partisan. How wrong he is. Who is not partisan? Football being the country's number one sport deserves better office bearers, infrastructure, players, sponsors, coaches and above all, followers for it can create many employment opportunities better than all the other codes. One has to admire the value that big games generate to society. The transport industry benefits a lot and so are the printing, security and catering services and individuals, including the lodges and hotels. Currently football has the largest export of players who bring foreign currency to the country.
Has anyone ever wondered why golf and rugby seem to be better organised and resourced than other sport codes? It is for the simple reason that they are headed by influential and experienced people with administrative and corporate savvy.
Recently an audit report by the Botswana National Sports Council (BNSC) depicted some glaring administrative and financial lapses at the BFA.
Now Seretse with all his experience and administrative expertise should help put the association on a sound footing and perhaps the BFA can be used as a benchmark by all the sports code. For me, sport is the most disadvantaged constituency in the country. This is due to the fact that it was only recently that a ministry dedicated to the plight of the youth and sport was created.
Recreational facilities are still lacking hence we need serving office bearers like Seretse in Parliament and to speak on behalf of sport. Surely when Seretse approaches the president as a serving MP and BFA office bearer, he carries more influence and weight than an ordinary volleyball or softball administrator.
There is the issue of the constituency league, which I think Seretse can better articulate behind the scenes as an MP and BFA man. As an accomplished corporate chief, he definitely can help transform the business side of sport and consequently, the plight of the nation.
Botswana has lagged behind in sports development because the majority of MPs do not have a grasp of its basic requirements. As a result, we have missed a lot of opportunities like hosting the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, which would have show cased the tourism potential of the country.
So Seretse ought to seriously rethink his decision to quit his post as BFA vice president after his appointment as an MP. I hope that Shaw Kgathi, the new Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, himself a renowned sportsperson, will have a word with Seretse to stay on until he finishes his term of office at BFA.
I am certain that Kgathi would love to have a serving office bearer of a sporting code as an MP. This can help him improve on his service delivery. By the way I expect Kgathi to deal with those who are not delivering. I am also hopeful that he will do away with some of the bureaucracy and red tape that has stifled progress. Immediately I want him to have a meeting with the BNSC, Department of Sports and Recreation and the Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC) to make them work in harmony. The BNOC should start delivering. It has made too many excuses.
Zebras
This week the BFA executive committee is expected to make an announcement on the position of the Zebras' head coach. It will have to decide whether to give current care taker coach, Stanley Tshosane, a long contract or not. Unfortunately however, some people tend to be too emotional about the issue. But based on Tshosane's performance so far, I have no doubt that the Zebras need a more experienced coach. Considering that Tshosane has been part of the Zebras' set up as far back as 2000, I am of the view that he has not done enough to convince me that he can take us to the Promised Land.
I do not think that he is a great strategist, tactician or motivator. At international level, a coach has to adapt very quickly and the players ought to play for him.
But the Zebras still have no structured way of attacking. Our attack is uncoordinated and this has been evident even against the practice matches that we played against Lesotho and Namibia. And during the COSAFA quarterfinal against Zimbabwe, our players gave the ball away cheaply and could not make three passes in the opponent's half.
The only time our players are able to combine is when they are not marked. In other words, we are only good at negative possession - playing in our own half.
Tshosane ought to go and coach outside the country or at best take the reigns at Gunners, Mochudi Centre Chiefs or Township Rollers. These clubs have their own form of pressure and structure which can broaden a coach's mind and perspective. Coaching a national team demands a lot on a person's management skills and organisational ability.
The BFA ought to make a wise decision and in the event they reappoint Tshosane, he will have to do a lot to win the support of the media and the respect of other local coaches and players.
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