Botswana’s top striker, Diphetogo Selolwane’s next destination still remains a mystery. After being linked to the trio of Sundowns, Pirates and Chiefs, he is now linked to one of the teams that is set to take South Africa by storm this coming season.
Selolwane looks set to join Silver Stars, South Africa’s team of the moment. Information reaching The Sunday Standard is that Selolwane has not renewed his contract at Santos and chances of him staying there are very slim. After previously being linked to Gauteng’s big three teams, Silver Stars are now reported to be dark horses in the hunt for his signature.
Even the South African soccer website, Kickoff.com, has speculated about Selolwane’s likely move to Silver Stars.
Silver Star coach, Owen Da Gama, has also expressed his desire to lure Selolwane to his team because he is currently out of his contract. He told Kickoff that Selolwane remains high on his shopping list and that he would be glad to have him.
Da Gama also said since Silver Stars would be having a hectic schedule this coming season, Selolwane would add depth given his vast experience.
“I spoke to Selolwane a while ago about a possible move to Silver Stars next season. I rate him highly and, given his vast experience in the game, I believe that he can offer us a lot of depth upfront,” D agama told Kickoff.com. “He has not had the best of seasons but there is no questioning his abilities. He is a useful striker and, given a chance, he can go far. He would be a vital addition to the team given the fact that we will be competing in Africa. He will be looking to continue doing well domestically as well. Selolwane remains part of my plans and the Royal Bafokeng sponsorship is a huge boost for us in search for quality strikers.”
If Selolwane ends up making it to the North Western Province-based side, he will join another Botswana international, Moemedi ‘Jomo’ Moatlhaping, and Phenyo Mongala, who is on loan at Pretoria University.
Despite only getting promoted to the elite league four years ago, Silver Stars have already made a name for themselves. This season they won the most lucrative tournament in the history of South Africa, The Telkom Cup and even managed to finish second in the league, beating giants such Kaiser Chiefs and Orlando Pirates. What surprised many people about Stars is that they do not have big names in their squad. The team has since sold some of its shares to the Royal Bafokeng tribe worth millions. This has reportedly made Stars one of the richest clubs in Africa and might attract a lot of talent.
Sunday Standard sources in Johannesburg said there is still a possibility for Selolwane to join one of the big Gauteng teams, especially the star studded Sundowns. The sources said Gauteng teams are still after his services and if Silver Stars are to have him, they should mean it.
Selolwane struggled with his form this season and saw himself playing second fiddle to upcoming youngsters such as Erwin Isaacs and Elazor Rodgers. Last season, he took the South African league by storm as he banged in many goals despite joining the league midway through the season.
His departure from Santos leaves only one Botswana international, Mogogi Gabonamong, who has since made a name for himself with his renowned no nonsense tackles.
Currently, Selolwane is with the national team for the Africa Cup of Nations encounter with Burundi. After the game, he will head straight to Johannesburg to finalise his deals.
Selolwane, together with Gabonamong, once went into self imposed exile from the national team. They demanded that certain conditions be met. These included improved incentives and insurance of players in case of encountering career threatening injuries. The duo came back for the first round game against Burundi and after that Mogogi disappeared once again. What he said irked him the most was the fact that he got injured and the Botswana Football Association was no where to be seen, leaving his team, Santos, to take care of him.
Gabonamong remains one of the few players who played for all junior teams up to national team level. He once said he sacrificed so much for the national teams that it ended up having a negative impact on his studies.
