Mpote, BFA: An incompatible union crumbles
Mqondisi Dube | Saturday October 28, 2023 06:00
It is no secret the Zebras' job is a poisoned chalice. But despite the bold warning signs, written in silent letters at Lekidi Football Centre, the victims chose to look the other way, with the lure of lucrative packages too much to resist.
The post increasingly resembles a beehive that offers the lure of sweet honey but at the same time, presents the danger of stinging bees. The financial returns are the forever pull factor with Mpote reportedly earning a cool P105,000 per month.
Despite the figure being lower than what Mpote’s predecessor, Adel Amrouche earned and what the incoming Didier Gomes Da Rosa will get, it still represents a handsome return. But the concern has been the lack of job security as few hardly see the end of their term. It is a race of piling human trophies. Mpote lasted 11 out of 36 months and missed celebrating his first anniversary by a whisker. Mpote’s journey has been hard, long and arduous. There was a section outside Lekidi that did not believe in his capability.
On the other hand, there were ‘enemies’ within. Mpote is said to have landed the job thanks to the influence of the Minister of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture, Tumiso Rakgare.
This reportedly riled the BFA executive committee, which had looked to appoint Serbian Jelusic Veselin. Against this background, Mpote’s move was eagle-tracked and with results not coming his way, the chop was ever drawing closer. The coach long saw his firing coming, so he said in an interview with MmegiSport shortly after his sacking became a football talking point this week. Mpote accuses his employers of engineering his fall through interference in his job and limited support.
The BFA’s trigger was ready to be pulled despite some of Mpote’s targets only kicking in next year. “Why should you be patient when you see the team has no direction?” one BFA official asked. But Mpote feels his sacking reeks of a Judas Iscariot moment.
There was a pact that the coach would select young players to prepare them for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations finals in case Botswana won the bid to host the edition. This saw Mpote tear his roadmap into shreds and, according to him, operate according to the dictates of his masters. But the Zebras kept drifting aimlessly with victories increasingly scarce. An Independence Day penalty shoot-out win over Zimbabwe gave some hope.
This was followed by Zebras' best-ever performance under Mpote as a full-strength team won a friendly 2-1 against Eswatini. While Mpote had eyes on the World Cup qualifiers starting November 11, officials at Lekidi Football Centre reached for the back pocket and flashed a red card. The timing came as a shock but the entire move was hardly surprising.
An incompatible union had come to an abrupt but expected end. Frenchman, Da Rosa is expected to check in, in the coming days. Da Rosa’s camp said it could not comment since there was nothing official regarding the appointment. But Da Rosa, who has handled 17 jobs since 2008 faces a tough task. The BFA has given the Frenchman the assignment to take the team to the 2025 AFCON finals and the 2026 World Cup tournament.
He will reportedly command a salary of around $25,000 (about P350,000) which could place him under immediate pressure. The environment, full of daggers might prove unforgiving as his predecessors can attest. The Zebras have struggled in recent years and Da Rosa’s magic wand might prove insufficient to drag the team out of the dark dungeons.