Lack of committed sponsorship is said to be affecting the performance of football teams in the Chobe District.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Kaboshe Ndweza, Coach of Kopano Sporting Club in Kasane, pointed to the lack of sponsors as the main challenge facing most teams.
“We have the best players who can end up playing for the national team, but they cannot showcase their skills because lack of finance is preventing us from competing with teams from other parts of the country,” he said. Ndweza said that the teams were only benefiting from the regional Independence Cup Tournament, sponsored by the late former Member of Parliament for Chobe and one-time Assistant Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Duncan Mlazie.
“Duncan Mlazie was an excellent determined sponsor of this tournament and it was motivating the teams within the district to work hard, thus ┬áwe will surely miss him because he has left a very big gap that will be hard to fill,” lamented Ndweza.
He also said that the long distances involved in travelling to other parts of the country are preventing teams from competing against other teams from across the country. Ndweza said despite these concerns, most of the players desire to be professional football players.
Commenting on the issue, a dedicated Ferry Wanderers player, Ookeditse Comodo Mwezi says, ”Chobe is one of the top tourist destinations, with lots of hotels and other non-governmental organizations, therefore one wonders why they are not willing to sponsor us.”
