As a local clothing label, All Kasi should be commended for the role they have played in the development of football in the country. The company rose from humble beginnings to become a national icon after a sterling role in supporting the senior national team, the Zebras.
They emerged as the Zebras’ technical sponsors when few companies wanted to be associated with the national team. Botswana was even called derogatory names, such as the ‘whipping boys of Africa’, because of being at the receiving end whenever they played against other countries.
When the Zebras played a high ranking African team, the situation was inevitably painful. Such teams are used to situations whereby when the referee blows the final whistle, an exchange of jerseys would take place with their opponents. They would be shocked by the resistance from their Botswana counterparts, who would insist that for them it was illegal. Local prominent player, Diphetogo Selolwane once tried to cross the line, but was asked to pay for the exchanged jersey.
It was then that All Kasi came on board and started dressing the national team. This coincided with an improvement in the performance of the Zebras, leading to the historic qualification for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, a first for the national team.
Suddenly, there was a spark of interest from big sportswear companies who started inquiring about the relationship the Botswana Football Association (BFA) had with All Kasi. They saw it as an opportunity to associate with a team that was making its name on the African continent.
For these big sportswear companies to come into the picture, it seems All Kasi had to pay the price and pave the way for them. Upon realising that All Kasi’s contract with the BFA is coming to an end next month, the companies agitated for the BFA to put the issue of sponsorship of the Zebras’ strip to tender. The BFA obliged.
Predictably, this caused furor in the soccer circles, with the BFA blamed for abandoning a local company that had supported the Zebras in hard times. Some politicians even joined the fray, backing All Kasi.
For its part, All Kasi claimed that they tried negotiating with the BFA, but were ignored. The BFA response was an advertisement in the newspapers calling for interested companies to tender. With figures being quoted in international currencies, tender conditions were seen to be alienating All Kasi.
So it was clear that for All Kasi, the writing was on the wall, that an international brand would replace the local company as the sponsor of the Zebras’ strip.
Be that as it may, All Kasi should nevertheless not take public sympathy for granted. After all, there are reports that to minimise costs, they are doing the bulk of their manufacturing outside Botswana. While they deserve to be protection as a local company, their inability to create more jobs by avoiding to manufacture in bulk locally dampens the goodwill for them. In fact, this should be part of their agreement with the BFA if they are to come on board.
It would be pointless for them to create more jobs outside the country but bring fewer benefits compared to an international brand. All Kasi must also take recent developments as a challenge and must explore not only football but other sports avenues and make their mark there.
We have no doubt that All Kasi have the interests of Botswana football at heart because some of their management played football even up to international level. The typical example is Barnes Maplanka who played for junior national teams before his career was cut short by injury. Maplanka knows all the pains of local football. That is why he together with his fellow compatriots took all the risks to sponsor the national team.
