30 Nov 2016

Botswana Football Association president, Maclean Letshwiti has denied suggestion that Botswana football has been captured by some investors.

Some of the football observers are of the view that the investors are very influential to the extent of making drastic decisions at Lekidi Enclave ranging from suspending and victimasing all those who were employed during the past regime.

Some people are also of the view that there is “de facto” president at Botswana Football Association, and Letshwiti is not in control.

 However, Letshwiti has rubbished the allegations, saying he was in total control of the game together with his National Executive Committee.

“Just tell me if you see the calibre of a leader that I am, do you think there is a room for people to control me. I am a natural leader and I have a reputation, not only in Botswana, I have an international reputation,” he said.

Letshwiti said he was not going to ruin his reputation because of football, adding that nobody in the game can tell him to do something that is wrong.

Furthermore, he said as a leader, he knows the difference between right and wrong, adding that even at the secretariat they can attest that there was no third party mingling in the affairs of football.

“I think it is just a perception and naivety by those advancing the argument, they don’t know me very well, they don’t know what kind of a leader I am. Listen to me, and there is nobody besides me and my National Executive Committee who is running Botswana Football,” he said.

Letshwiti further clarified that no investor was paying for the on-going forensic audit at Botswana Premier League. He admitted that the process did not come at a cheap price, but they were left with no option but to carry on with it; although when he assumed office he found the audit in motion.

“Let me make it very clear; the forensic audit is not funded by anybody externally, despite the fact that BFA doesn’t have money, certain things had to be done, in order to make sure that the public and the market see that things are done above board in BFA.

He said the BFA had to continue with the audit just to allay fears and bring back integrity and confidence back to the association, and it was not a fishing expedition.

Regardless of the expense, he said the forensic audit was inevitable. He further admitted that there was an audit company that audited the Botswana Premier League recently, but said people should be cognisant that there was a difference between financial audit and forensic audit.

Financial audit, he explained, looks at the correctness of transactions, while forensic audit goes beyond by doing more in-depth investigations. ENDS