Crisis-hit TAFIC sack coach
Lebogang Mosikare | Saturday March 12, 2022 06:00
Although the message posted on the club’s official Facebook page did not reveal reasons why Maseko resigned from the hot seat, insiders said the coach was sacked instead. Other insiders claim there is more than meets the eye regarding the coach’s abrupt sacking shortly after he was appointed to lead the club after the departure of former Zimbabwean head coach, Saul Chaminuka. Following the sacking of Maseko, TAFIC appointed Andrew Taolo as head coach and he will be assisted by former Zebras defender and club veteran, Lovemore Mokgweetsi. The club has also appointed Wrist Mmusi as goalkeeper coach while Molatlhegi Sebua will continue as a physical trainer.
The quartet faces a tall order as the team sits second from the bottom of the league with nine points from 11 games, 18 points behind log leaders Nico United. In its history, TAFIC has always bounced to the top tier league after spending only one season in the First Division but this time things look different. “The welfare of players has been neglected for far too long.
This made it difficult for the coaching department to plan for games. In fact, how do you coach players who are demotivated because they are not paid their salaries? Last Monday, some players boycotted training as they did not have money for rent, food and transport. Only 12 players turned up for training on Thursday. The club management was not present all this time and only heeded the players’ concerns for an urgent meeting on Friday,” a source said. Demonstrating how dire the situation is, the insider said when TAFIC drew 1-1 against Miscellaneous in Serowe, the players only ate bananas and were not provided with lunch.
Against Calendar Stars, players had to walk from the Francistown Golf Club where they had congregated before the game to the Old Francistown Stadium, the source said. “During our game against Calendar Stars, the players also ate lunch very late at around 2pm. There is also a problem of some club veterans, supporters and elders who want to dictate how the club should be managed and coached.
This disrupted the coach’s plans very much. In short, the old problems that besieged the club are still tearing it apart today. If not addressed to the benefit of all stakeholders, they will tear the club asunder to the point that it will never gain promotion to the top league this year and the following years,” the insider decried. “The club’s problems stem from the fact that its chairperson is using TAFIC for his political interests and cares little about the welfare of players,” the source added. Maseko briefly told Mmegi Sport that he parted ways with TAFIC amicably and wished the club the best in its quest to gain promotion to the Botswana Premier League. TAFIC chairperson, Tebogo Toteng said Maseko did not state any reasons for his resignation. Toteng said players chose to eat bananas before their game against Miscellaneous as they ate breakfast very late during that day. “The issue of players' welfare is very simple.
The players called us for a meeting to ask about their welfare. We understood what they said and informed them to bear with us because we are still waiting for the COVID-19 relief funds from the Botswana Football Association. We also told them that we are yet to receive the sponsorship money from Debswana that is normally given to clubs at the beginning of the season.
These funds will come in handy in addressing issues of players’ welfare in their totality. “For obvious reasons, sponsors are not coming on board to assist clubs because of the pandemic...I must, however, thank the players for understanding the situation that we find ourselves in,” Toteng added. When asked about whether he was using TAFIC as a stepping stone for political ambitions, Toteng, who lost the BDP primary elections before the 2019 General Election, expressed shock over the claims. “I don’t know where that comes from. I was approached by some TAFIC elders to become chairperson. The elders took into consideration my business acumen and thought that I may somehow help the club.
I harboured no political interests when I decided to contest for the position of club chairperson and I still do so today. In fact, the way the club is performing has the potential to dent my political aspirations if I still harbour political considerations in future. Contrary to what people are propagating, I no longer harbour political ambitions. However, I don’t have a problem with people who are peddling such rumours because they are entitled to say whatever they feel about me,” said Toteng.