08 Jun 2023

Two prominent lawyers, Tshiamo Rantao and Terrence Dambe, have been appointed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) as arbitrators.

A press release from Botswana Football Association (BFA) says the two are the first Batswana to be appointed CAS members and will deal with cases on an ad-hoc basis.

However, they will not be expected to relocate from Botswana to execute their duties despite the location of CAS headquarters in Switzerland with the courts in New York, Sydney, and Lausanne.

According to their profiles, Rantao and Dambe have contributed immensely to Botswana football with Rantao having shown interest as a young man.

In the early 90s, he formed Small Boys United at St Theresa’s Catholic Mission School in Lobatse.

Small Boys United was a precursor to Junior Gunners, a junior team for what was, at the time, one of the leading premier league teams in Botswana.

The team performed at its best from 1992 to 1994 and was later ‘adopted’ by Extension Gunners and made it its junior team.

He also has vast experience in sports law.

He is currently chairperson of the Confederation of Southern African Football Associations (COSAFA) Disciplinary Committee, having previously served as a member of its Constitutional and Legal Committee.

He served in the Africa Zone VI Anti-Doping Panel until 2021. Rantao chairs the Botswana Football Association’s (BFA) Arbitration Tribunal whose decisions are appealable only to CAS.

Rantao has also drafted constitutions for BFA, Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC) and the constitutional template for Botswana National Sports Commission (BNSC).

He has represented BFA at the High Court of Botswana on a number of occasions and had earlier represented teams against BFA. He was a chief prosecutor for Botswana Premier League for about six years.

Around 2012, he was appointed by the Botswana Premier League to head a commission of enquiry which enquired into the mess created in fixtures for the premier league.

The commission was commonly known as the Rantao Commission.

His report led to major constitutional changes to address the apparent conflict of interest created by the laws applicable to fixtures.

Dambe has also served football at a higher level.

He is a member of the CAF legal affairs and player’s status committee and a founding member of the Kabelano Charity Spectacular.

The release says Dambe has served in several capacities and portfolios, adding his knowledge of the law and a clear passion for sport will come in handy in the discharging of his mandate and responsibilities as a member of CAS.

It says from 2001 to 2006 he served as a legal advisor, a BFA national executive committee member and also an ex-officio member of the BFA disciplinary committee.

He also formed part of a team that effected transformative changes to the BFA constitution.

In 2007 as part of the CAF 50 years Golden Jubilee award, Dambe was one of 50 Batswana who were honoured for their efforts towards the development of football in Botswana. ENDS