Local referees open to bribes – report

Chakalisa Dube | Saturday September 2, 2023 06:00

The investigating team made up of human resources expert, Leviet Ntwaagae and attorneys, Simon Mmopi and Mboki Chilisa, found these vulnerabilities leave match officials susceptible to bribery or manipulation. The investigation by the commission came as a result of an audio clip where there was a discussion suggesting the possibility of match-fixing. Bondo appeared to shrug off advances to influence the outcome of a Premier League match as Mojaki pleaded with him to meet up with a certain Zakhem. The report has since concluded that the Zakhem being referred to is Gaborone United financer, Nicholas Zakhem. The commission submitted its report to the association in June. The BFA has reneged on its promise to make the findings public.

Mmegi Sport is in possession of the report and one of the key concerns raised by the commission is that most local referees are not gainfully employed and this exposes them to manipulation by club officials. The commission also said it has established that there is a disparity in payment of referees, which is caused by uneven allocation of matches or fixturing. “This also creates a risk of referees being amenable to match-fixing,” reads part of the 14-page document. The report recommended that the BFA and BFL should consider introducing a retainer fee for referees who are not employed outside the BFA. “The allowance would cushion referees financially and reduce the risk of exposure to match-fixing and manipulation temptations.” In its submissions to the BFA, the commission emphasised that both the BFA and BFL should take responsibility and facilitate workshops to address the dangers of match-fixing. “The objective of the awareness training should be to empower match officials, referees, staff and football administrators against unethical conduct and practices that have the potential to tarnish the good image of football in Botswana,” stated the report.

The commission recommended that the BFA management should take responsibility for resuscitating the national referees' structures and ensure that substantive members are appointed to all positions of the subcommittees. In addition, the three-man task team emphasised that as a matter of policy, the members of the committee should be entirely independent. The investigation by the commission also found that the state of local football is in shambles because of a lack of proper refereeing structures. “Two critical subcommittees that serve under the National Referees Committee, namely the Referees Review Committee and Referees Committee are non-existent in practice and their absence contributes to poor match assessment and review of reports adjudication process,” the report highlighted. According to the document, the general perception among referees is that the referees’ manager, Phodiso Rasetsoga runs the affairs of the two sub-committees single-handedly and this is creating disharmony among referees. “The case of a red card which was given to a Jwaneng Galaxy player during their match against Mogoditshane Fighters, which was later revoked after some days, on grounds that the match referee had subsequently discovered that he erred by his decision to issue the card is a clear case of lack of appropriate structures and conflict in decision making,” the report concluded. The refereeing crisis according to the report, is also exacerbated by a lack of support for the referees' manager from both the BFA and BFL management who appear to have lost confidence and trust in Rasetsoga. The commission has, however, not found substantive information to validate perceptions against Rasetsoga.