Football legends from Botswana and South Africa will this month end, May 30, face each other in a fundraising tournament organised by the opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) at the National Stadium.
Speaking at a Press Briefing held at The Big Five Lodge on Friday, MP for Mogoditshane, Sedirwa Kgoroba, was however reluctant to share names of the South African legends billed to take part in the tournament sighting the government’s VISA impositions as the reason. “We are afraid the government might impose VISA restrictions on the players as they did with some people who were invited in the past like Rick Yune and Julius Malema,”
Kgoroba said. He however did not rule out the possibility of the likes of Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana legends Doctor Khumalo and Lucas Radebe taking part in the one day event.
Local Legends expected to grace the event include former Gunners players Itumeleng ‘Tumie’ Duiker and Naphtali ‘Scara’ Kebalepile, and Tafic FC legend BB ‘Stimela’ Sechele.
The tournament, dubbed Moono Football Spectacular, will also feature three more football matches including a game between UDC members of parliament versus National Executive Committee (NEC) members of the coalition partners (BMD, BNF, and BPP).
The tournament will also feature a North vs South under 15 and ladies teams respectively.
“There has been a lot of rumblings from our followers who have been highly concerned about what they deem the deafening silence with regards to UDC activities,” said MP for Mogoditshane, Sedirwa Kgoroba.
“We must remember that the last time the UDC held a spectacular event was back in October at the launch of our president Gideon Duma Boko,” said Kgoroba. He also added that such an event will have unforgettable memories that Batswana always yearn for. He said the UDC leadership have a responsibility to teach people that the movement is not all about the committed loyalists alone but rather a national project.
“We have now arrived at a point whereby we have to carry the nation on board and move away from engaging only the loyalists by holding events that are strictly and always political.”
UDC president Boko and his deputy, Ndaba Gaolathe, will also take part in the tournament. “This week the herd-boy (as he calls himself) resumes soccer practice to revive his soccer career in time for the May 30 soccer spectacular,” Gaolathe wrote on his facebook timeline this past Wednesday. “The ‘herd-boy’ returns to the soccer practice field to revive his soccer instincts. He wears his soccer-boots once more to prepare for a ‘Moono Football Spectacular’ on 30 May 2015. Our coach has hinted that he is planning to put the ‘herd-boy’ as part of the starting line-up, deployed as an attacking mid-fielder from the middle on a number 10 t-shirt.” He remarked that it appeared their coach was not certain if Boko will make the starting line-up or start from the bench. “However he is determined to assign him to a defensive position,’ Gaolathe joked.
