Friday, February 7, 2025

Lucky escape for Zebras

Botswana’s senior national team, Zebras made a lucky escape from Mali after their 2018 World Cup qualifying game. The Zebras played Mali on Tuesday and left for Botswana the following day. Two days after the national team’s departure, the hotel that they were staying in, Madisson Hotel in Bamako became a scene of terror and bloodshed after it was stormed by terrorists who killed and people and took hostages. Muslim extremists held the hotel occupants and employees hostage and killed others. The number of hostages hovered around 170 and by press time it was not yet clear how many had been rescued. The number of the dead was estimated at around 10. Had the Zebras players delayed their stay, the attack would have been a catastrophic event for the country, which is still reeling from the shock of the tragic accident that killed seven students of Matsha Senior Secondary School. The Zebras were in Mali for the second leg of the World Cup qualifiers and lost by two goals after winning the first leg 2-1 in Francistown.  

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