The looming court battle between Township Rollers and the Botswana Football Association (BFA) is going to expose dirty dealings at the association. This is according to outspoken former Gaborone United Manager, Keemenao Tsie.
Tsie told Sunday Standard Sport that the BFA was problem ridden and everything should come out before it is too late.
“I can smell a rat that there are big problems at the BFA,” said Tsie. “If there were no problems, Rollers would not have gone to court twice bearing in mind the consequences they might suffer. This then means Rollers know something and are determined to expose it.”
Tsie also said the problems affecting Botswana football might end up being similar to those affecting Kenyan football where there are two parallel Premier Leagues. Tsie said, at first, events in Kenya were a replica of what was happening to the BFA. Currently, Kenya has been suspended from FIFA activities until everything is amicably sorted out.
Tsie added that Rollers would not have gone to court if things were solved decently and quickly.
He also warned that if the current Rollers case is not given due attention, the current BFA executive committee might face a vote of no confidence from the affiliates.
“Apart from the Rollers case, there have been serious allegations from the press about BFA. Most teams might end up losing trust in the current committee and end up calling a special congress. At the special congress, anything is possible including a vote of no confidence,” he said.
Township Rollers are currently at the High Court claiming unfair treatment meted out on them by the BFA during the recent Coca Cola Cup tournament. Before the game, Rollers lodged a complaint charging that one of BDF XI players, Bernard Simakwenzi, was improperly registered. Rollers went on to win the game 3-0 in Simakwenzi’s absence. Later on, the National Appeals Board (NAB) ordered a replay, saying BFA had acted wrongly by directing the player to be dropped from the game.
Rollers, on the other hand, refused to play and went to court while BDF XI were given free passage to the finals. They lost 2-1 to Notwane.
Rollers have now taken the matter to court again demanding that the finals between Notwane and BDF XI be nullified.
Coca Cola Cup sponsors, Kgalagadi Breweries Limited (KBL), are some of the respondents. The inclusion of KBL was seen as a bad move because they might terminate their sponsorship of BFA and it might also even scare away potential sponsors.
One of the local tournaments, Supreme, once pulled out after being taken to court by one of the teams.
