17 Sep 2024

Low turnout for football games is enough communication that something is amiss, Minister of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture, Tumiso Rakgare has said and pleaded with the newly elected Botswana Football Association (BFA) president, Tariq Babitseng to bring football back to its glory days.

He was speaking at a meet and greet session in Gaborone Monday, where he challenged all stakeholders to introspect as football belonged to Batswana and the young generation who fancied themselves as future football stars.

Rakgare said the growth and development of football was nothing to write home about but acknowledged that women’s football had talented players yet there currently was no proper league.

“I have assured the BFA president that government will continue to assist football where possible,” he said and pointed out that funds would be set aside in the current financial year, to support women’s football league.

“Not only them, there are other leagues like softball, netball, volleyball and athletics, to help them set up a secretariat and also give athletics clubs grants,” he said.

Rakgare said as the new national executive committee hit the ground running, they must remember all those who sacrificed, volunteered and were impoverished by football among them, Sam Sono and Sexton Kowa.

“Any decision that the new board will make in four years, they must be based on honesty, and they must always remember that it is Botswana first, and put their interests aside, because they lobbied for support from delegates on Saturday saying they want to serve football,” he said.

The president he said was the embodiment of the BFA constitution and therefore, it was important for him to abide by it.  “So if they are going to trample on the BFA constitution then it will be unfortunate, remember that as a board, you owe it to the organisation. This organisation does not exist in limbo, it is a BFA which is in Botswana,” he said.

Rakgare noted that BFA operated within the confines of the laws of Botswana and should not work in isolation.  Babitseng promised to uphold, respect and work as per the BFA constitution. 

He said part of his campaign manifesto was to bring back and unify supporters as well as work closely with his predecessor, Maclean Letshwiti whom he was happy that he had pledged to support the new comers. 

Babitseng also stated that the FNB Premiership would not start this weekend as envisaged, to allow for certain things to be straightened out. Ends