The Botswana Football Association (BFA) leadership has appointed technical officers to manage development in its four regional blocks aimed at its desire’s to develop the game from grass root level.
During his inauguration last year, BFA president, Maclean Letshwiti emphasised grassroots development as a major cornerstone of his regime and the appointment of the four technical officers is seen as a move in the right direction.
According to BFA spokesperson Tumo Mpatane, the technical officers will be responsible for promoting, facilitating and managing youth programmes in the country. These will apply to both girls and boys at all the age categories, being the Under-13, U-15 and U-17.
The four technical officers are Ricardo Marape, Kenneth Mogae, Boniface Lekaba and Director Muzola.
Speaking in an interview, Mpatane said Marape would manage the northern block, Mogae the eastern block while Lekaba and Muzola would be deployed in the southern and western blocks respectively.
He said the four were employed on three-year contracts which would elapse in February 2020. The quartet, who are all qualified coaches, are expected to groom players who can improve the quality of football in Botswana.
When asked about the measures they had in place to make sure that there won’t be conflict between block technical coordinators and regional officers, Mpatane said that they had developed a philosophy that would guide all employees, to exercise ethics everywhere in order to take steps towards professionalism.
Still on matters relating to grassroots development, former national U-17 and U-20 teams’ coach Odirile Matlhaku has been appointed as the technical officer, youth development at the BFA. He will be managing the development programme of the association.
Meanwhile, Mpatane has asserted that proper procedures were followed in the hiring of all the BFA technical officers.
According to the BFA spokesperson, prior to the hiring of the technical officers, the BFA had advertised all the positions in the media, with those who applied and were qualified eventually called for interviews and substantively hired.
The BFA does not have a technical director after the expiration of Benny Kgomela’s contract at the end of January which was not renewed.
