Despite the uncertainty that hangs like a thick cloud of doom over his tenure as Zebras coach, Tshosane has remained calm. He says until the BFA says otherwise, he will remain coach.
“I’m not going to resign if that is what most people think. I have an agreement (contract) with BFA and we have to stick to that agreement. It is the BFA who have to take the decision to let me go if they believe that I can no longer deliver. I don’t want to believe that I have failed the nation because I’ve not been getting the kind of support I expected from BFA.”
Tshosane pointed out that when he signed the three year contract he had a plan for the Zebras but it has been frustrated by the little support he has received from his superiors.
“We are elders and we don’t have to act out of emotions. I don’t want to be seen as if I am fighting BFA. No. I believe that when they roped me in they had confidence in me,” Tshosane told this publication.
While BFA has denied that they have taken a decision to fire Tshosane, sources within BFA have indicated that the national executive committee (NEC) was trying to save face by denying the story.
Sunday Standard can reveal that the NEC sealed the fate of the coach through e-mail communication after the Zebras failed to go past group stages at the Cosafa Senior Challenge which was played in Zambia last month. BFA are said to have prepared a new contract which had some deliverables amongst them that the Zebras should at least reach the semis at the regional tournament.
Tshosane refused to sign the new agreement much to the chagrin of BFA leadership.
“It is true that I refused to sign the new agreement because I also wanted to come up with a new roadmap,” confirmed Tshosane.
It is reported that in their emergency meeting, which was held in the previous week, it was agreed that they wait for BFA vice-president technical Ernest Nthobelang to return home from Zimbabwe before they take a decision. Nthobelang has been in Zimbabwe for the past three weeks as Elections Observer sent by Botswana Government.
“That meant that as a head of technical departments at BFA, there was no way they (NEC) were going to fire Tshosane in his absence. BFA president (Tebogo Sebego) has been in constant communication with Nthobelang and he is aware of what is expected of him when he arrives home,” said a source. Nthobelang is expected to arrive in Gaborone today from his international assignment.
When BFA open doors for business tomorrow morning, Nthobelang is expected to meet with all the stakeholders concerned before releasing a press statement on the future of the coach. In a telephone interview from Harare, Nthobelang said that he is aware that a lot has been said about the future of Tshosane in the past weeks.
“I’ve been in touch with the president about the issue but I cannot confirm or deny that we’re going to part ways with him. It is true that as a head of the technical departments there was no way a decision was going to be taken in my absence. I think I’ll be in a better position to tell you the full details surrounding the future of the coach when I’m there,” Nthobelang said.
