16 Aug 2020

Botswana Football Association (BFA) elective congress might be held through a virtual conference platform on Saturday.

BFA president, Maclean Letshwiti, said in an interview that they had requested for a special dispensation from a Presidential COVID-19 Task Force Team to hold the congress, but should they fail to get a go ahead, they would resort to virtual meeting.

He also stated that he had a virtual meeting with FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, secretary general, Fatima Samoura and a representative of Africa. They all agreed about the importance of holding the general meeting.

“They told me to do all what I can, despite the COVID-19 pandemic threat, so be rest assured the elections will go on Saturday,” he said.

Letshwiti said there was no how he could avoid the elections due to COVID-19 because he respected  the BFA constitution, which stipulated that the term of office was four years.

According to Government Gazette Extra Ordinary section C ‘a person shall not travel across COVID-19 zones for purposes of a meeting, workshop or conference; and notwithstanding paragraph (c), a convener or facilitator may apply for a permit to cross COVID zones for purposes of a meeting, workshop or conference.”

Football analyst, Kagiso Rantswaneng, said football constituents could not have afforded a postponement.

“Again, we do not have the stamina for the legal implications to be brought about by any breaches, deliberate or non-intentional of the governing statutes,” he said.

Furthermore, Rantswaneng said he was happy that the congress would not be postponed. He said football would play its role of leading other sporting codes as a sport of mass participation and following.

He said the ordinary general assembly had, amongst its agenda items, ratification of the amended constitution.

The constitution, Rantswaneng said, was imperative owing to the fact that it was the fundamental governing document.

“It has not been an easy journey thus far but nothing beats commitment and determination which we saw from direct and indirect contributors alike. We are at the cross roads and we rely solely on our delegates to the elective general assembly to give a new mandate of governance and help chart the way forward through the ballot,” he said. ENDS