Delegates will be spoiled for choice in the coming Botswana Football Association elective general assembly. Three teams will be fighting for the supreme leadership of local football. Solomon Mantswe officially launched his team on Monday and promised to bring order at the BFA.
“Our task will be to improve on what has been done by those who have come before us. We must accept that the world has changed, and so has football together with methods of modern governance. We therefore intend to do more and do it differently,” Mantswe pledged.
He said to achieve their objective he has to restore integrity and credibility of football. The BFA president aspirant said they commit accountability and transparency in their administration.
Mantswe’s team include Dickson Gabanakgosi as first vice president, Gabriel Ngele as the second vice president, Sebolao, Oathusa Baoke, Kgato Motai and the only woman, Theresa Hirschfield.
The team is also promising to revive relations with key stakeholders to bring development progress at the association.
“We intend to work with FIFA, CAF and Government to develop Football infrastructure which will be a critical element in the sustainability of growth, competitiveness, commercial viability and professionalism” they promised.
The team further promised to secure land for the four regional blocks and build regional offices during their term in office. They said they will manage to secure the land because they believe the have the right connections and language to negotiate.
Mantswe observed that football is faced with problems such as allegations of corruption, debt, escalating players’ fees and incompetent management at Federation level.
“That has to change. We have engulfed with pockets of ill-discipline, factionalism and general apathy towards compliance. These have to be eradicated.”
He explained that the new ethics committee will ensure that only the most suitable officials shall ascend to positions of authority and responsibility. The Mantswe team said they will insist on the presentation of credentials to the ethics committee as pre-requisite for consideration to serve on any of the BFA structures. The optimistic Mantswe team is of the view that if individuals present their credentials to the ethics committee the BFA will get rid of individuals who aspire for positions in order to only serve their interests.
Concerning the national team, Zebras, Mantswe said they want the national teams to achieve Olympic qualification in 2020, Africa Cup of Nations qualification in 2021 and World cup qualification in 2022. They say they will achieve this through their 2022 Vision strategy.
On revenue mobilization, they team intend to set structures where accountability will be mandatory. Ticketing, hospitality and merchandising all will be revisited.
On the controversial premier league autonomy, he said it is their desire to make the league truly autonomous so that the dream of commercialization of the league will be realized.
Mantswe’s reforms will also want to put the local elite league to be rated among the top 10 leagues in Africa by 2022. The plan intends to produce a team of elite players playing regularly at club level. Mantswe said they will achieve these because the structures will be well supported and resourced.
He said during their term in office they will change the BFA to be attractive, progressive and relevant. “This will be done by creating sufficiently motivated and capacitated structures which can sustain optimal and consistent, levels of delivery” concluded Mantswe.