Ask the former Botswana Premier League (BPL) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Bennett Mamelodi about football politics and the answer is always simple – “I am not a football politician. I am an administrator.”
And an administrator of note he is! While at the helm of the BPL, Mamelodi aspired to build what he termed ‘a monster.’ Unfortunately, as with all monster tales, it turned out he could not domesticate the monster he created. The monster chewed and spat him.
Now, there are rumours that the former BPL CEO is on the radar of Mochudi Centre Chiefs supporters as the man to take the team forward once the current team committee has been ousted.
According to sources, various people close to the Kgatleng based team have already approached Mamelodi, selling him the idea of taking over, something which the former BPL CEO has confirmed himself.
“We know that Mamelodi is an administrator of repute. He has been with the BPL and while there could be a few things he might have not done as expected, he did well to grow the BPL,” one Chiefs’ supporter explained.
“However, the thing that got us even more interested in him is that he is a former Centre Chiefs player. He is a legend of the team and knows its culture,” the source explained.
As part of his immediate mandate should he take over, the former Centre Chiefs goalkeeper will be expected to recalibrate the team secretariat.
“We want someone with new ideas who can clean our image and make the team attractive to potential sponsors and investors. The current committee has done well for us in the past more especially on the field of play, but we do not think they can help us lure sponsors as they are right now,” the source said.
When reached for comment, Mamelodi confirmed that he had been approached by various people expressing interest in him taking over at the club.
He however said he is yet to make a decision on the matter, but said the position would not be attractive to him if it is political.
While he did not delve much into the matters as they were still under consideration, a source close to him revealed that the former BPL CEO only wants to do administrative duties ‘and will not campaign to be voted into positions.’
“If he is just called into a position to help Centre Chiefs without him having to campaign, he will likely consider it. He still loves Centre Chiefs and would definitively help the team when called upon but only if his position is not political,” the source concluded.
