Pius gives football a bigger slice of pie
Nchidzi Masendu | Saturday June 10, 2023 06:00
Looking at the great job done, ‘Gamah’ has done on the football pitch, it will be remiss not to refer to him as a local legend. As he was given the guard of honour during Saturday’s game between Police XI and Gaborone United, football gave a standing ovation to a loyal son of the game. Pius handed over the captaincy to teammate, Tapiwa ‘Navara’ Gadibolae. ‘Gamah’ made his debut in 2002 when his side faced TAFIC at the Francistown Council Stadium. He came on a fresh-faced 17-year-old teenager. Pius told Mmegi Sport this week that he still vividly remembers his debut match and acknowledges the long journey that he has travelled in football since then. “It has always been Police XI as much as I wanted to play elsewhere. Throughout my time with Police XI, there was nothing that pushed me to leave the team for any other team locally,” Pius said.
He weighed how football business was conducted in other clubs and felt that it was best to stay at Police XI. “I made a firm decision that I am okay where I am at. By then it was about job security, being what I all wanted, and (at the same time) to play football. If I did not turn into a professional, I needed something that will back me up, when my playing days are over, hence (the decision to) stick with Police XI,” Pius revealed. As he spent most of his life at Police XI and served the club with diligence, Pius indicated the team treated him well since day one, which is the reason why he decided to remain loyal. Additionally, the long journey was driven by his desire to succeed. “When I want to do something, I do it. I make sure I do it with determination and discipline because at the end of the day, my reputation counts,” Pius said. The man from Tati Siding said he gained invaluable experience playing for junior national teams under the late David Bright. His football career started when he was a pupil at Morama Junior Secondary in Jwaneng and then blossomed at Moeding College. It was at Morama where he got the nickname ‘Gamah’. “Eish, it was one guy at Morama Junior School who was my classmate. He was teasing me with the name and it has stuck with me,” he recalls. Pius remembers Police XI’s relegation to the fourth division in 2012 as one of the most difficult moments. The club was demoted for failure to pay affiliation fees to the Botswana Football Association (BFA). Despite the low moment, Police XI hung on and merged with Wonder Sporting to plot a return to the Premier League. “At Wonder Sporting, I found other captains for that season, the likes of Duncan Kgopolelo,” he said.
The following season, Police XI was back in the Premier League and Pius was handed back the captaincy. Pius acknowledges that it was not a walk in the park to lead the troops as the skipper. “There were tough moments as some players would display traits of indiscipline, pitching to training unfit to train and I had to step in to address the issues internally before they could make noise publicly. In this way, we would portray the right behaviour as a football family,” he said. His favourite jersey number has always been 12, which he considers a lucky number. “The little I have achieved I am grateful for; the little impact I have made on previous, present and yet-to-come football players. I am proud and I will continue to be around football cycles if they need me so that I share the experience with other generations,” Pius said. Pius won the 2005-2006 league title with the The Jungle Kings and had a goal voted the Mascom Top 8 Goal of the Tournament, to mention but a few. “There is a high possibility that I might join the technical team since I have a Botswana Football Association C licence. They (at Police XI) are still working on it and we shall see how it unfolds,” Pius said about his plans.
Full names: Betsho Pius
Date of birth: January 1, 1985
Place of birth: Ditharapa ward, Serowe
Profession: Police officer Club: Police XI FC