02 Jun 2015

While many sporting organisations around the world have joined the bandwagon of empowering women in sport, Botswana Football Association (BFA) seems to hold a different view.

BFA is affiliated to both FIFA and Botswana National Sports Council, and the two entities are signatories to the Brighton Plus Helsinki 2014 Declaration on Women and Sport.

Aims of the Brighton Plus Helsinki Declaration on education, training and development calls for those responsible for education, training, and development of coaches and other personnel to ensure that education processes and experiences addressed issues relating to gender equity and the needs of female athletes.

This included a safe and secure environment which equitably reflect women’s role in sport and physical activity and take account of women’s leadership experiences, values and attitudes.

Now, in a surprising and unjustifiable move, the Botswana Football Association demoted the national women’s football coach, Gaolethoo Nkutwisang to the position of an assistant coach.

Nkutwisang was replaced by Sepheko Motlhagodi a week before the team departed for Kenya for the Rio Olympics qualifiers return leg, despite the fact that the team had been showing improvement under her.

It appeared that the association did not have full trust in Nkutwisang’s capabilities.  BFA technical director, Benny Kgomela said the re-deployment of Nkutwisang was necessitated by the fact that they needed someone with experience in terms of coaching women.

He said Matlhogodi had vast experience and he had coached the ladies under-17 and 20, and at least 50 per cent of players who were in the women’s senior team were coached by him while in junior teams.

Kgomela further said deploying Nkutwisang to work under Motlhagodi was a way of giving her enough opportunity to gain coaching experience.

“We want her to learn more from Motlhagodi’s experience. Well we know that we have to empower women, but as BFA that is what we have done. If you can remember the FIFA consultant who was in Botswana even encouraged us to empower women,” he said.

He stressed that their decision was not based on belittling Nkutwisang adding that they needed Motlhagodi’s higher experience. However, BFA pronouncement did not seat well with the International Working Group on Women and Sport (IWG).

IWG secretary, Game Mothibi said it was a sad decision for women in sport, adding that different organisations are advocating for women and girls participation in sport, and if something like this happens it has a potential of defeating those objectives.

“Honestly it is a draw-back for our country, especially in sport,” she said. Mothibi said the reasoning of BFA that they needed more experience was inadequate because the same woman has been coaching the national team alone.

Meanwhile, Botswana lost 1-0 to Kenya in the second-leg of the Olympic Qualifiers on Sunday. This means that the tie finished 2-2 on aggregate and Botswana has been eliminated from the competition. Ends