23 Aug 2015

Botswana Football Association has  sensitised football clubs below premier league about some laws of football at a regional conference held in Molepolole recently. 

The meeting targeted chairpersons of divisions in the Kweneng region about some laws of football at a regional conference.

Botswana Football Association technical instructor Edwin Senai who is as well a FIFA referee. 

He explained the new laws to chairpesons of divisions in the Kweneng region about the 2015-2016 ammendments in laws of football with particular reference to law 2, law 3 and law 4 by FIFA.

The amended law 4 is concerned about the health of a football players. 

Have been changed as to state that electronic performance tracking system is said to be used on players as to monitor their heart beat rates and breathing patterns in order to determine if they are fit to play football.

Senai has given the node that as BFA, the law will be followed compulsorily at premier league level though necessary resources may hinder their activeness on acting to this law due to their shortage. 

This will be performed randomly to players as to curb costs as well as for doping tests.

Adding on to this BFA administrator, Steal Maleka has advised football clubs below the premier league level to make efforts to adhere to law 4 by at least picking randomly groups of five’s from their football teams for health check-ups on the state of their lungs and heart pulse rate at government hospitals as it is cheaper.

The second law amended is law three of the 17 football laws. Law three is about making substitutes during a match. 

The amendment made is to allow a player in a soccer match to be substituted as for him to take break then later get back into the match to continue with play.

Football clubs chairpersons were also advised to buy and to use FIFA quality standard footballs for their matches. 

This FIFA quality footballs have identity labels including FIFA QUALITY FOOTBALL, FIFA QUALITY and IMS “International Match Standard” as to meet appropriate 2015-2016 global football  FIFA standards and requirements.

On the other hand, Senai has also cautioned football clubs about mnatch fixing. 

He explained that “match fixing is whereby influencing the result or course of the game for advantage for sporting or for financial gain. 

He said match fixers can be persuasive as their offer may seem to be too good to resist but this can lead to players and those involved in jail or even may cause match fixers to lose sponsorships. 

Young players at the beginning of their career may be targeted by criminals to fix matches. 

This is a global concern as 70 countries have experienced cases of match fixing since the beginning of this year alone, as indicated by Interpol investigation. 

Anyone who can be aware of this criminal activity in any form is said to report. Reporting will protect vulnerable players. 

Such cases are said to be reported to trustworthy sources, multi-sources, but as one is to report they should protect their identity.

Match fixing cases can be reported to BFA as well as online at www.intergrity@fifa-ews.com.

Senai adviced football players and football authorities to recognise resist and report match fixing. In Botswana match fixing is not yet determined if is a mountain or Cornhill. South-East regional football chairperson Mantle notes that as Kweneng one division league starts on the 29 August, football clubs are advised to have submitted 25 names of players to be used in the tournament. 

As well reports should be written concerning grounds to be used for training and for the tournament then be submitted to the regional chairperson every six months after. 

Grounds inspections should then be conducted against poor structure and hazards. 

He also noted that players at regional level are allowed to transfer two times in a season to three teams due to the absence of regulation contracts for amateurs as-to-date. Ends