Township Rollers are concerned that they have never been officially honoured and recognised for winning the controversial 2015/2016 season.
Botswana Premier League acting CEO Thabo Styles Ntshinogang said: “We have given Rollers the trophy and the medals in early January. The ceremony could not be done because we did not have money as it is usually sponsored by the league sponsor, BTC.”
Rollers president Jagdish Shah is a disappointed man that there is no word either from the BFA or the BPL. “They have never brought medals to us. They only gave us a trophy which was later taken by Tiro Kganela of the sponsors who said he was going to engrave Township Rollers’ name on it,” he said.
Shah said the acting BPL boss was not telling the truth as they have never given medals to any of the team members.
Shah explained that they trophy was never brought back.
“The trophy was never brought back and currently we don’t know where it is. Kganela promised us that he is taking it to engrave it and see if they can do a small ceremony to officially hand over the trophy and the medals because the way it was given was not proper,” elaborated Shah.
According to Shah, when the trophy was taken for engraving, Kganela promised them that a ceremony would be staged where the champions would be honoured and recognised properly.
According to Shah, his team did not get the support they deserve from the BPL after his team cooperated with them to finish the league that was highly contentious.
Shah, who is also the chief financier of the team, says if the medals and the trophy does not come they will just continue focusing on playing. He observed that it was like there was no support coming from the league to give them what is long due to them.
Rollers’ secretary general Khumo Masonya said his team had not taken any resolution of what they would do if nothing was done. “We believe we deserve to be given what is due to us. What the BPL is doing is not right and it will be the first time in the history of the elite league that the champions are not recognised in a ceremony,” he observed.
According to the two officials, Popa only got the prize money.
BTC spokesperson Golekanye Molapisi said: “As the sponsor we are not involved in the administration of the league; the issue you are talking about rests with the BPL and the BFA.”
Rollers participated in the ongoing CAF Champions League and were knocked out by CNAPS Sport of Madagascar.
The 2015/2016 ending was not peaceful because some teams were disputing the registration of Ofentse Nato.
