Book captures Mamelodi’s rare insight into stay at BFA
Mqondisi Dube | Saturday February 24, 2024 06:00
Mamelodi was in charge at BFA, often a hotbed of moral turpitude between 1989 and 2000. The 200-page book, due for release at the end of March, captures the transformation that the seasoned administrator ushered, leading to Botswana shedding its unwanted tag as Africa’s ‘Whipping Boys.’
Mamelodi has not been afraid, through his memoires, to delve into touchy subjects, with the BFA often considered a fertile ground for eagles and hawks, which sets the scene for constant confrontations. “I felt there was a lot that I learned and experienced during my decade-long stay at the House of Football in Botswana that needed to be shared, including with those in the current and future leadership of the game,” Mamelodi told MmegiSport. “Introducing organised football in areas where it did not exist such as Kgalagadi and Nhabe; introduction of structured Football Development and commencement of participation in international competitions, amongst others were defining moments that in my view had to be shared,” Mamelodi added.
Gripping accounts of what went on behind the scenes at BFA will spill through as Mamelodi gives a candid view of what transpired.
“This journal chronicles a tumultuous relationship with the media and the sometimes perceived maladministration of the BFA. It details allegations of my instigating corruption for personal gain,” Mamelodi said in the book’s Foreword. “The narrative exposes unsavoury relations between referees, players and administrators.
It delves into the off-the-field battles that were a constant presence. The account does shed light on the fractious politics of securing funding in a time when a sports ministry existed nor did the FIFA Financial Programme or FIFA Forward. And lastly, it reveals the often blurred line between the legal and the illegal that was often straddled,” Mamelodi said. He further adds, he has no regret for being part of small steps to grow football despite the trials, tribulations and insults that often accompanied the running of the game.
*Over the next weeks, ‘Protecting The Game’ will be serialised in Mmegi and will be published every Friday.