When Fani walked into Lekidi Auditorium, most of the journalists wondered what could have prompted him to call the men and women he has always avoided. Surprisingly, Fani was there to officially announce the appointment of Duncan Kgame as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
This was a shocker because Kgame has been in the office for six months. Secondly, Fani took a swipe at the Botswana National Sports Council (BNSC) after the council decided to suspend their 2012/2013 grant in a letter addressed to them in May. The timing of the response from the association was not right because it has come almost two months down the line.
When opening the floor to the media, Fani pleaded with the scribes not to ask questions which were not relevant to what he had said earlier. The house disagreed because Fani has never availed himself in the past to answer some of the burning issues in Botswana football. The question which arose at the Wednesday briefing was why Fani had to call the journalists for a briefing a few weeks before the assembly.
In his response, Fani said, “This (press conference) has nothing to do with the elections.”
Fani said that there was no need to respond to BNSC letter immediately as they were still shocked and disappointed. Most people have dismissed Fani’s claim.
“I think Fani is desperate to return to the office hence he has decided to call the media for a briefing on issues which could have long be addressed. He has been going around the football regions to pledge for support and the response has not been what he expected. All what he did on Wednesday was to rally for support, nothing else,” said one of the region’s chairmen.
He lambasted Fani for having promised Regional Football Associations (RFA) some equipment which he has failed to do.
“It’s a desperate time for him. I understand that he was in Southern region but he was met with a cold shoulder,” added the source.
What makes it even worse is that at a BFA national executive meeting last Sunday, the issue of meeting with the media did not crop up. Executive members were only notified through an email on Tuesday evening that there will be a press briefing on Wednesday morning.
“To make matters worse, the email did not tell what would be on the agenda,” said a source.
Despite all the accusations that he was indirectly rallying for support through the press briefing, Fani remained adamant that it had nothing to do with the association’s elections.
“It’s our nature that as human beings we look at things differently. But I have explained the reasons behind that press briefing (I don’t need to convince anyone),” said Fani on Friday afternoon.
On July 28 in Gaborone, Fani will go head to head with the current BFA legal advisor, Tebogo Sebego, for the position of BFA president in what is expected to be a closely contested affair. While most people believe that Fani is dead and buried following some of the most embarrassing incidents which befell our football in recent times, others argue that it will be suicidal for Sebego to think that he is home and dry.
The two gentlemen sat apart during Wednesday’s briefing and at the end of the proceedings, they did not chat or shake hands. The tension between the two is said to be at the highest level with Fani feeling that Sebego has betrayed him by standing for the elections.
