As Notwane supporters celebrated their hard fought 3-1 victory over their wealthy opponents, Gaborone United fans were left counting their losses. Huddled in groups, they conducted post-match analyses.
It was clear that they did not approve the signing of goalkeeper Nhete, who is seen as the long-term replacement for Noah Maposa, who is likely to join South African First Division outfit United FC.
“There is no doubt that this guy (Mhete) is an average goalkeeper and he cost us the game today. I wonder why the management would go for such a poor goalkeeper while there are a number of quality goalkeepers in Botswana. If you look at his performance you could see that he was lost throughout,” said one supporter during the analyses.
Another supporter lamented that since five years ago, the Reds have failed to bring foreigners of quality to the club.
“The problem is our executive is too arrogant. There is something they’re not doing right and the results are showing. If you look at the success of the club off-the-field, it does not match the results on the field of play. This goes to show that the players we’re bringing to the club are of not quality. I think the best way is for us to sabotage the games. Maybe that is when they’ll take us seriously,” commented another seemingly concerned supporter.
In response, GU secretary general, Herbert Letsebe, said their supporters are a spoilt bunch who need to know their role at the club. He pointed out that their supporters are not a united force, hence they can make such remarks.
“There are so-called influential supporters, not that they’re special in a way, but because they talk too much. Most of them are just petty people whose main intention is to derail the club. I think the problem comes from the fact that GU fans were left to interfere so much in the running of the club but that is not going to happen,” said Letsebe.
He poured scorn on those who said that they would sabotage the Reds’ games as a way of showing their grievances.
“It will be unfortunate if some individuals believe that staying away from the games is the best option. In that way we must question the loyalty of those individuals because when things are not going right on the field, that is when the club needs them. A true GU fan will continue rallying behind the team whilst complaining. Those individuals must learn to put the interests of the club before theirs. After all, GU is a big brand which is bigger than everyone,” Letsebe continued.
On the performance of his side against Notwane, the GU official admitted that the goalkeeper had a poor game but that does not mean he becomes useless overnight. He said it is too early to judge the Zimbabwean goalie. He pointed out that as a club they will continue encouraging him to ensure that he rediscovers his potential.
“At the same time, we should not take credit away from Notwane because they worked hard on the day. There is no need to press panic buttons because I believe we’ve a technical team which will turn things around. If the performance does not improve in the next five games maybe that is when one can get worried,” he added.
GU supporters’ chairperson, Kebaeletse ‘Tally’ Keobokile, agreed with Letsebe that their supporters are spoiled. He said some of them think that whatever they say is right. He pointed out that they are those supporters who think they are better than others especially the wealthy ones.
“Those who are not card-carrying members are the ones who are troublesome. Most of our supporters prefer to raise their grievances through the social media and when they are called for meetings they never show up. This is a cause of concern but I’m glad that the executive powers to deal with those unruly fans,” he said.
