Premier League teams in the southern part of the country used to have nightmares when it was their turn to play Francistown based sides like Tafic and Tasc.
The Francistown Stadium used to be a slaughter house and a point gained from there was a big achievement.
That was in the nineties.
After that, the fortunes of both Tafic and Tasc started to plummet and most teams were assured of collecting soft points when heading to Francistown. However, Tafic’s fortunes are improving but Tasc is still finding the going tough as they are in and out of the Premier League. Even this season, Tasc has not done well and might drop to the lower division.
Tafic is currently on song and many teams are having a difficult time against them.
Even their supporters have started attending the matches in larger numbers and it would not be surprising if they finish in a reputable position this season provided they do not falter along the way.
Tafic also used to have about four players in the national squad but currently, they do not have a single one who commands a regular place. However, one of their players was recently called up, a sign that if they continue doing well the player, Biki Letoane, might end up being regular.
Chairman of Tafic, Humphrey Nawa, told Sunday Standard that it is not by sheer luck that the team is doing so well.
He said the management put in a lot of effort to revitalize the fortunes of the team.
“For the team to do well there should be transparency from the management and we are trying to do that by all means. There is a serious financial challenge at the team but the little that we get, especially from our supporters; we try to use it wisely. We rarely have cases where players are always complaining of not being paid. It’s tough but we are trying,” he said. Nawa also heaped praises on the coach, Paul Moyo, whom he said is doing a marvelous job. He said coach Moyo, together with his technical team, have a cordial relationship and the players are responding well.
“We all know that coach Moyo is a very experienced coach and has won many medals with different teams. A coach like him just needs to be given time to turn things around and that’s what he is doing at Tafic. As the management, we do not interfere in his work and he has a complete control of the technical team,” he said.
Nawa also added that their aim is to have many players in the national team just like in the early and mid nineties. Some of the renowned Tafic players that used to command regular places at Zebras are the likes of Setimela ‘BB’ Sechele’, Jomo ‘Nobody’ Mosweu and Mareko Pabalelo.
Experienced Tafic striker, Tamocha Bedi, attributed the success of the team to hard work. He said all players work as a team and that’s why the results are coming in.
“Once players are dedicated, coupled with unparalleled support from the management, there is no way we can go wrong. Everyone seems dedicated to do well whether we are playing at home or away,” he said.
