Extension Gunners head coach Calvin Petersen has declared his commitment to the club despite the ongoing financial troubles at the Peleng giants. The South African-born joined the sleeping giants at the beginning of February from Notwane but things have not been rosy since his arrival. Despite a major announcement at the beginning of the season that they have secured a P2 million sponsorship which would keep the club going for the current campaign, recently one of the backers Cassim Dada was quoted in the media saying that they have exhausted their funds since the other backer did not come on board.
“It has not been a smooth sailing but the management has been honest enough to explain the situation to me. The current situation shouldn’t derail me that much because I’ve got a job to do here. While at the moment I don’t know what the future holds for me here, the truth is I would like to continue coaching this massive club beyond this season,” said Petersen.
Despite the bad financial situation, Petersen said he will carry on with his main task of drilling the club. Following a long wait for his work permit, Petersen started shouting instructions from the dugout on March 6 in a 2-1 win over Nico United in Selebi-Phikwe. He has overseen four matches.
“I want the best for this club because they have a bunch of good players who have this club at heart. What makes me happy is that the players have started buying into my philosophy. Yes, I can’t expect things to happen overnight but I must say that I’m satisfied with the commitment from everyone,” he continued. Petersen has also praised his assistant Poi Paul and goalkeeper trainer Motswadi Motswadi for the fantastic job they have done since arriving at the club. The two men were appointed at the same time with Petersen. “It is such a blessing to work with people who share the same philosophy with me. They’re knowledgeable and I believe that we can go far if we were to remain with the club in the coming season,” Petersen said.
The soft spoken coach added that their intention is to solidify their position in the top 8 bracket. Gunners are left with five matches against Motlakase (home), FC Satmos (away), Gaborone United (home), Police XI (away) and BDF XI (home) before they wrap up their campaign. “We’ve got tricky fixtures before we finish up. As the technical team, we’ve done our best to keep the players focused despite the challenges we’re having,” he said.
Gunners’ chairman Kitso Dlamini told this publication that their intention is to keep Petersen beyond this season. “The coach, including his assistants have done a marvellous job in terms of improving our team. If you come to our training sessions you’d like what you see and this is what we’ve always wanted. There is no doubt that we’ve not done well in terms of keeping them happy but we’re working around the clock to rectify that,” said Dlamini.
