FORMER PLAYERS SUGGEST REMEDY TO ZEBRAS SITUATION Anastacia Sibanda reporting for BOPA First it was Ofentse Nato who absconded from the national team, ahead of 2015 qualifying game against Egypt, then followed Mogakolodi Ngele who is alleged to have walked out of the camp for unknown reasons. The two are crucial players in the Zebras camp and therefore the writing is on the wall that their absence will affect the campaign. However, this occurrence has disturbed former players and Batswana at large, so the million dollar questions are; what is wrong? And what can be done to save the name of the country and the Zebras? Commenting on the issue, former Zebras player, Chandy Moruti said, “to me the big question is; do we have the proper structures for player discipline in the teams? Do our structures include team rules like do’s and dont’s, code of conduct for all team personnel?” He said being a manager did not give one the right to talk anyhow to the players. He added that they should have the right personnel to manage player affairs and the players should look up to the managers. He said at the just ended world cup, almost all the teams had a former national team player as team managers. The former Zebras player further said players in their nature were stubborn and needed someone who had been in the national team for some time. He added that the issue was not only on the players’ side but also on the management, therefore they both had to be scrutinised. Another former player, Diphetogo ‘Dipsy’ Selolwane said the issue of players boycotting or walking out of the camp had been brewing because the Botswana Football Association did not take player matters seriously. “I’m pretty sure if we dig deeper the real story will come out of what really transpired. It’s time we gave former players and senior players a platform to mentor these boys,” he said. Dipsy said as former players, they expected the young players to act in a certain way and yet the people who should be helping them with the pressures of stardom were alienated from them. He said most of the issues could be handled in house rather than running to the press to shift blame. For Seabo Gabanakgosi, the phenomenon was a concern and disturbing because it is evident that there is no team spirit, and therefore there is no way forward. According to him, there were factions between players, adding that it would affect their performance in the field. Seabo said the best solution, was for the football governing body to sit down with the players and map the way forward. He said former players were not given enough platform to talk and guide the upcoming players, therefore if the problem was not addressed it might embarrass the nation. “As it is, we have pressed panic buttons, and if two players can walk out of the camp, it means there is a problem,” he said Another Zebras former player Noah Kareng said he was disturbed by the way issues leaked from the camp, and at the same time one would not know the root cause of the debacle. He said a player like Ngele would never cause trouble unless he was provoked. He said the Tsotso he knew was well developed, disciplined and smart. “Something is wrong here, and it must be solved as a matter of urgency before we lose track,” he said. Kareng said top football management must investigate, as to what happened and inform the public. BFA, president Tebogo Sebego said he was still waiting for the report from the technical department concerning Ngele. He said as for Nato, the technical team had since briefed him, adding that it was not the first time the player, absconded from camp. “Even during Stan Tshosane era, Nato will come to Botswana, only to be derailed by other things without reporting to camp,” he said.
Posted on: Sat, 18 Oct 2014 09:09:06 +0000