BY DUNCAN KGANGKENNA
The Botswana Football Association and the Botswana Premier League (BPL) have been accused of lack of proper planning for the football season.
The sentiments were shared by football analysts after the league postponed the final of the Orange FA Cup that was supposed to be played on the 1st of June. The prolonged season always takes toll on both the players and administrators hence the season should end in May.
Jimmy George the football analyst described both the BFA and the BPL as unprofessional organisations that fail to do things according to standard practices of football.
“The two organisations have to up their game and start doing things correctly in order for football to appeal to supporters and other key stakeholders,” advised George adding that “another season is starting while the other one is still on. How are we going to explain this mess to people?”
“It was ideal for the BPL to have slotted their games during midweek to finish the league and finish with the season with a cup final this weekend rather than to postpone it to mid June after COSAFA. The league is not appealing and supporters are no longer interested in the domestic league because mismanagement and fights. Most of the supporters are looking for COSAFA to start and no interest in the league” he observed.
Another football analyst, Aupa Mokotedi concurred with George that the way the BFA and premier league act is unprofessional. “Professionalism can only be realised by the way we do things. Daily operations can reveal whether one is professional or not, BFA and BPL are failing in doing basic things procedurally. How do you continue with the completions into the other season, it can only happen in Botswana because people are not ashamed of their acts and they always go away with murder,” observed Mokotedi.
On the transfer window opening on the 3rd June while FA cup is still on he said: “It is embarrassing for a FA competition to overlap into another season. Why do we mix two different seasons? The BFA could have opened the window only after the 2018/2019 all competitions have closed. How are we going to stop players from moving to other teams? You cannot play last season competition in the new season. By opening the transfer window by extension the new season has automatically opened,” he said.
He further observed that lack of proper planning also bring fatigue to all people involved in football hence lack of interest.
Mokotedi advised that Mascom Top 8 tournament should be played in the first round of the league because the teams are few. “It is wrong for eight teams to play for the whole season and for the FA cup which involves many teams is played in half season. All these zero to planning. Football administrators should ebb held accountable and start doing things procedurally. Botswana is a laughing stock internationally because administrators don’t have vision of what it entails in doing things right,” quipped Mokotedi.
Both Mokotedi and George are of the view that football administrators should be held accountable for perennially bringing confusion in the game.
