On Friday, Botswana Football League (BFL) announced there will be prize monies for the Botswana Premier League (BPL) 2022 / 23 season.
This was announced during a media briefing addressed by BFL board chairman Nicholas Zakhem. He was accompanied by BFL board member and treasurer Jagdish Shah.
Addressing the media, Shah said the BFL had close to P4 million which will be used for prize monies. He said due to prudent financial management, the BPL had been able to use less monies than they had budgeted for the league’s administration.
The league had initially predicted the cost of running the league to be at P6 million. Shah explained that due to ‘strict control of the finances,’ the BPL will now spend almost P5.5 million or less to complete the league.’ This he says saved the league almost half a million pula in expenses of running the league.
“If you remember, we initially said we have been able to get money from Btv (Botswana Television) to the extent of P7 million. We had some surpluses as well. With P5.5 million which is our expenses, we have been able to keep aside almost P2.2 million pula, which is available as a surplus out of the money that we had from the Btv sponsorship.”
“In addition to that, I have the pleasure to inform you that we have been able to negotiate with one of the other sponsors to the extent of another P1.7 million. This left the BFL with an extra money to the extent of P4 million pula, which I told the chairman it can be attributable to the teams by way of either prize monies or grants,” Shah said when explaining the source of the prize monies.
The BFL treasurer said after looking at the pros and cons of grants and prize monies, they finally agreed the monies be used for the latter. “We then decided most of the P4 million pula be used for the prize monies.”
He said with teams guaranteed a minimum of P100 000 in prize monies, another decision to lend teams money against prize monies was taken. He said the teams will however be given monies to the extent of the minimum prize they can get.
While the prize money breakdown is yet to be known, Sunday Standard has it in good authority that it will be as close to those of years gone by as possible. The source said the winner will be expected to get between P800 000 and P1 million pula.
The announcement comes a week after allegations of an impending mutiny by team chairmen against the Zakhem led BFL board. The conversation allegedly led to the closure of the chairmen’s WhatsApp group at the order of Zakhem.
Sources within the chairmen indicated that the group was closed as the BFL board did not want to be held accountable. They indicated that leading to the closure of the group, they had expressed some displeasure at the board’s failure.
Their gripe stemmed from the BFL board’s continued failure to source sponsors for the league. As a result, teams could not get monthly grants nor were they expecting prize monies at the conclusion of the league.
“It is clear we are less important or non-existent to this Board, to continue to hope they will one day care has been the most irresponsible expectation. Eventually football will always be bigger than all of us, we voted in this guys to come and mess up our football, we are responsible for this mess,” one chairman wrote in the alternative WhatsApp group.
“We can only correct our mistakes, which is why I propose the following; 1. Set a date and sponsor a meeting at the BFL and invite this Board, 2. The BFA is the custodian of football always, the league we sponsor is very important to them, let’s find the most effective way to make BFA intervene, 3. Football is an important industry in this country, let’s seek audience of the leadership of the country,” the chairman added. Now with the announcement of the prize monies, it remains to be seen whether it will appease the disgruntled chairmen and but Zakhem and company time at the helm of the BFL Board.
