07 Mar 2016

Judgement between Township Rollers and Gilport Lions involving Ofentse Nato will be released in due course, according to the Botswana Premier League disciplinary committee.

Gilport had filed a protest contesting that Nato was not properly registered when he played against them on Valentine’s Day at Molepolole Sports Complex. 

On Thursday during hearings, Lions member, Lore Malepa argued that when registering the player some procedure were not followed given that the transfer did not go through the players status committee.

Malepa said the practise has been that when a player was registered outside the transfer window, the registration should go through the player’s status committee for determination.

“Just five months back we wanted to register a player, and yes we went through the players status committee, now why is Rollers exceptional and why are there two set of rules,” he asked.

Malepa further argued that Botswana Football Association, chief executive officer, Kitso Kemong wrote a circular reminding teams that the registration periods ends on January 31, and that no transfers would be processed after the date. 

What was shocking, Malepa said, was the fact that there was evidence that the premier league backdated the stamp when processing the registrattion, adding that he wonders where they took the power to fiddle with the stamp.

He also said the players international transfer vertificate came on February 9, although the transfer window closed on January 31.

However, Township Rollers member, Kgosietsile Ngakaagae said he was shocked that Malepa was raising the backdating of a stamp as an issue, despite that Gilport Lions also benefitted from the dispensation.

He said the stamp was backdated because of the system and nothing sinister, adding that Gilport should be cognisant that transfer rules do not say a player could not be registered outside the transfer window.

He said the other important issue was that Nato was registered as a free agent, and that there was a provision that free agents could  be registered outside a transfer window.

According to Ngakaagae, FIFA has approved Nato’s transfer hence the international transfer certificate was ssued.

The BPL, DC chairperson, Busang Manewe said because of the arguments raised during the hearing, his committee need time before they could pass judgement. Ends