Jealous football steals shine off athletics’ Grand Prix

Mqondisi Dube | Monday April 24, 2023 16:00

All sports talk was expected to be dominated by Botswana’s hosting of arguably the country’s biggest sporting event, the Golden Grand Prix. It has been all positive with news that top athletics stars are heading to Gaborone for this weekend’s athletics jamboree.

The last minute withdrawal of major draw card, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has chipped off some shine but the event remains as formidable as ever with the likes of Kirani James, Ande de Grase expected to touch down at the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport this week.

Africa has its own competent sons and daughters who include Botswana’s pin up poster boy, Letsile Tebogo, wily-old fox, Isaac Makwala, speed merchants, Ferdinand Omanyala and Akani Simbine.

It should be an exciting meet with sports enthusiasts who have a good taste for fine athletics taste, converging at the National Stadium for a classic. The competition has meant the eyes of the athletics and by extension, the sport world, are firmly focused on Botswana, particularly on Saturday from 2pm.

But amid the celebratory mood created by the upcoming Grand Prix, a jealous element has somehow popped out to foul the festive spirit. Football has been quietly and jealously watching the unfolding good news at athletics.

In a space of seven days, the problem child delivered not one, not two but three devastating news. First, four match officials were banned for periods ranging from three to six months for inaccurate reporting during the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between Benin and Rwanda last month. This one sounded forgivable. Seeing that the first incident did not cause enough negative waves, football then conjured up a much more weightier offense that has attracted the eyes of the international community.

An audio clip, featuring referee Joshua Bondo and Botswana Football Association (BFA) official, Monnakgotla Mojaki, emerged and its contents could leave football scarred for the longest time. In the clip, there are suggestions of match-fixing, which has prompted an immediate investigation by the BFA, with the ministry and the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) among those calling for a probe. But how effective will be BFA in investigating the matter remains to be seen, amid concerns the mother body is conflicted and an independent inquiry will be more credible. While football and sport in general was still digesting the unsavoury incidents, there was still time for serving a dessert. The suspension of officials was served as a starter, with the match fixing allegations the undisputed main dish.

The dessert was equally served in large portions, enough to feed the appetite of not only the local sports fraternity, but made that of those abroad. Botswana’s marriage with Namibia in their quest to host the 2027 AFCON finals came to an abrupt end on Wednesday, leaving a sour taste the mouths of many. It was a bid that had not been thoroughly thought, as the two countries could have saved themselves the embarrassment by right away, appointing a facilities auditor. This could have given an indicator whether to proceed or abort the AFCON mission at the earliest stage. But it took nearly 12 months for Botswana and Namibia to realise the bid was not a viable project. And how the facilities audit report has remained holed up in some government office weeks after its release, is bothersome. The whole process must be transparent and the Namibian authorities long shared with the public what the facilities auditor recommended.