05 Jul 2016

Former Botswana Football Association (BFA), technical director Ben Koffie has died at the age of 84, at his home country Ghana at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, on Monday.

Koffie contributed immensely to Botswana football during his tenure as a technical director from 1992 to 2001.

The last time the country had a robust youth development was during the time of Koffie.

His products include among others, Dipsy Selolwane, Sox Molwantwa, Seabo Gabanakgosi, Desmond Hambira, Edwin Disang, and Innocent Ranku. 

Former BOPA sport journalist,  Aupa Mokotedi said in an interview that the success of Botswana football although not to the highest level revolved around the strategy of Koffie.

“When I was a young boy we used to see Koffie moving around the country holding coaching clinics where he identified and nurtured guys who later became Botswana’s most successful group of footballers. The likes of Selolwane, Noah Kareng and many more were products of the strategy conceived and implemented by Koffie,” he said. 

Mokotedi said Koffie’s demise was certainly a great loss to Botswana football, given that the crop of players he identified formed the core of the Zebras team which later made a maiden appearance at the African Cup of Nations.

Furthermore, he said Botswana’s failures in football terms could be attributed to a departure from his strategy. “His demise is certainly a great loss to Botswana football, I personally met Koffie during my early days as a football reporter and I found him to be very resourceful and passionate man of the game,” he said.

Former Zebras goalkeeper Bennett Mamelodi said Koffie’s death was a big loss to the game, more especially in Africa given that he set up structures in all the countries he has worked with.

He said Koffie set up development structure in Botswana, adding he also became a better player after interacting with Koffie.

“He once told me that as an ambitious football player, even if you’re off form, there was a certain level which you must never perform, and I will always remember him,” he said.

In one of his interviews with BOPA in 2010, while he was Ghana Football Association technical consultant, he advised that if Botswana wanted to see results in the sport, football administrators should put more emphasis in grassroots development. He said youth development could be hectic and demanding at the beginning.

“The  idea of development was for growth, the more you develop the better you become  it is also important for Botswana to have a strong Under 12, Under 15, Under 17, Under 23 national teams in place for continuity. 

The teams should not only train when there is a competition,” he said at the time. ENDS