Gofaone Taylor has barely warmed her seat at the Botswana Football Association (BFA)’s Lekidi headquarters.
Yet signs are that she will have more to contend with than she bargained for.
As the euphoria surrounding her historic appointment wanes, some are starting to question whether or not she is Taylor-made for the job.
There is lingering curiosity if she is just another pawn in the local football powerplay.
While the new BFA chief executive officer (CEO) comes with an impressive resume from the corporate world, it seems many are still not convinced she rightly earned her stripes.
To back up their claims, the doubting Thomases point to several issues, among them alleged flaws in the recruitment process as well as Taylor’s perceived naivety of the local football and its politics.
Prior to her appointment, some of the applicants for the job had already questioned the BFA’s sincerity and transparency in the recruitment process.
According to one ‘applicant,’ the BFA National Executive Committee (NEC) hierarchy hijacked the recruitment process from HRMC to make a room for its preferred candidate.
The applicant alleges that when HRMC closed for applications, at least 26 hopefuls had applied for the post.
He says as far as he understood the process, HRMC was supposed to whittle down the process until only two best candidates remained.
From the two remaining candidates, it is alleged that HRMC would then have had to make a recommendation to the BFA, who would have then made a final decision.
It is however said when only five candidates remained, the BFA took over the process even though HRMC had not finished the process as agreed.
As to what could have led to the BFA hijacking the process, the alleged applicant said the reason could have been that the association had realised that its preferred candidates had been eliminated.
“They then decided to forego the HRMC recruitment and started ‘head hunting’ a new CEO, which led to the employment of the current one,” he alleges.
This version is however rubbished by one BFA NEC member who describes it as ‘a big lie.’
He is adamant that due process was followed and that the names of applicants were also submitted to UEFA to help with the vetting process.
HRMC has since refused to comment on the matter, saying it cannot discuss confidential client issues with a third party.
Speaking to Sunday Standard Sports, a certain Mohamed, who refused to reveal his other name, said all matters related to the recruitment process should be directed to the BFA.
Mohamed said HRMC is bound by client confidentiality and could not divulge any information thereof to a third party.
On the issue of Taylor’s perceived naivety, one commentator says the BFA NEC would have gone for her as she will be easier to control by the board.
The commentator however cautions that the BFA NEC will have to compete with members of its own secretariat who will also seek to influence incoming CEO who is still considered to be ‘wet behind the ears.’
With all the allegations making rounds, one commentator says Taylor will have a lot to prove, not lest because she is a woman, but also to show she got to her position on merit.
“We all know that many are saying the job she occupies is not made for a woman. She will have to prove that women can do it. If she does well, it will be good for the women course,” the commentator says.
However, due to the allegations surrounding her appointment, the commentator says if Taylor fails, ‘it will be bad news for women seeking high positions in local football.’
