04 Sep 2016

Councillor for Tshwaragano ward, Gaone Majere says he believes that Tati African Football Independence Club aka TAFIC has the potential to restore the city of Francistown’s dignity by progressing to the elite league.
Speaking at the team’s 2016/17 season launch on Saturday, Majere who was the guest speaker on behalf of the Francistown South MP, Wynter Mmolotsi said the city leadership was worried that Francistown was not represented in the top league, yet it is a home to a state of the art sporting facility.
He noted that TAFIC as one of the oldest teams in the city, should take it upon itself to be promoted at the end of the First Division.
Majere challenged the players, business community, and leadership at all levels and other stakeholders to ensure that the city has representation at the premier league.
He encouraged TAFIC players to display Botho in all the games, adding that for a team to attract sponsorship and become solid, Botho was a key principle.
The team’s chairperson, Thomas Maika said TAFIC slid into insignificance over the years and its influence within the football circles has dwindled.
Maika noted that for the past two years, the team has been struggling for promotion.
He challenged all stakeholders to act and support TAFIC because without their support the team would not go anywhere.
“Without your support our endeavour to earn a promotion will remain a dream and our collective mandate should be to help the team to progress to the premier league,” said Maika.
He said his committee has opened its doors for ideas on how the team could get a promotion and fund raising strategies.
Maika noted that the team starts the season without any sponsor yet it has to buy players, transport them and even pay for their general upkeep. He appealed to the business community to come on board and assist the team.
A representative of the team’s elders, Christopher Ollyn called on stakeholders to support the committee and the players to take it upon themselves to play football out of passion, respect themselves and desist from bad behaviuor.
Ollyn noted that during his era as the team’s player, the players did not play for money, but out of passion. He appealed to all stakeholders to always apply the best conflict resolution measures to avoid hatred and sabotage prevailing among them.
He called on the team officials to treat players fairly without favouritism and always give feedback on the issues raised within acceptable timeframes. He thanked the new committee for recognising elders by taking them on board.
TAFIC marketing manager, Tshiamo Morobosi called on all stakeholders to ensure the team has development structures as per the FIFA requirements. He noted that while the team did not have money, it still has to play in the First Division league, which kicks off on September 10. He further said the team would use the red as its home kit and white as an away kit. Morobosi said the team would play under the leadership of Blessing Moyo and Elias Chinyemba as the head and the assistant coach respectively.
Morobosi further revealed that in addition of the new players who were recruited from the local teams such Gaborone United, Township Rollers, Nico United and Police XI amongst others, two foreign players in the names of Simbarashe Sithole and Steward Matlala were also netted.
For his part, chairperson of First Division North, Mpezeni Sambandawe appreciated TAFIC for engaging its elders as a way of developing itself.
Sambandawe noted that TAFIC was in the right direction towards progressing to the premiership. He said the team’s participation in the First Division should not be considered as relegation but a backslide.
Still at the event, Sambandawe revealed that Debswana would once again sponsor the First Division to the tune of P6 million for a period of three years.
He said encouraged teams to behave in a decent manner during the games.
“No company will want to associate with teams which do not have Botho and I call upon you, to unlike, in the previous season avoid any issues that compromise the sponsorship,” he said.
Satellite South ward councillor, Godisang Radisigo called on TAFIC to empower the captain in order to motivate and account for other players. He observed that sometimes teams make a mistake of not taking captains on board in decision making.
Radisigo called on players not to only focus on money, but rather on their growth. ENDS