12 Aug 2013

Regional football associations are not happy at the way the leadership of their mother body, Botswana Football Association (BFA), is neglecting them.

The concern emerged at the weekend during BFA’s annual general assembly held at the Gaborone International Convention Centre, where some regions’ delegates complained of continued lack of offices. The delegates accused the BFA leadership of delays in delivering its long standing promise of procuring porta-cabins to serve as offices for the regions.

They said the promise to buy porta-cabins was made first by former BFA president David Fani in 2001, but it had not materialised two years on. One delegate from the Ghanzi Regional Football Association said the BFA must make provision of office accommodation for regions one of its chief priorities.

Out of the 16 BFA regions, only the Gaborone Regional Football Association has stable office accommodation. Another delegate from Nhabe Regional Football Association expressed disappointment that BFA president, Tebogo Sebego did not mention in his address how the association was helping regions to acquire offices.

The delegate argued that regional football would not develop if it continued being operated from officials’ cars. The delegates also complained about what they termed ‘communication gap’ between the BFA National Executive Committee and regions. They charged that the leadership had not visited them to appreciate the challenges they were facing as custodians of football at grassroots level.

In response, Sebego acknowledged the complaint saying, however, the association would not be able to provide the promised porta-cabins because there were no funds.  In any case, he assured the delegates that the procurement of porta-cabins for regions remained one of the aims of his administration.

Meanwhile, following the amendment of the BFA constitution, regions would be put into four blocks starting from the 2013/14 season. There would be two blocks in the south and a further two in the north.

In the north, Chobe, Nhabe and Boteti would be put in one block, while other regions like Central, Selebi Phikwe, Tswapong, and Francistown would form the other block. Kweneng, Kgatleng, Gaborone, South East, and Southern would be put under one block in the south, while Kgalagadi South, Kgalagadi North, Kgalagadi Central and Gantsi would become the second block.

Promotional playoffs would be played according to blocks. Sebego said the development to group regions into blocks was meant to improve efficiency of running regional football. He said it would improve communication between regions and NEC.  Ends