Can Bebeto steer sinking Double Action ship?
Kabelo Boranabi | Saturday August 3, 2024 06:00
They failed to sail through to the national playoffs of the DTCB Women's Championship for the first time in three years. An emerging force in women's football, Gaborone United (GU) finished first in the Gaborone Region Division 1 League, with Double Action, second. 'The Big Brand' lost their first match in the league in three seasons as they were beaten by GU in the second round of the league games. Double Action will, for the first time, play no part in the continental showpiece as they failed to qualify for the CAF Women's Championship COSAFA Cup qualifiers to be held later this month. In another major loss, a prominent figure in long-time serving chairperson, Senki Sesinyi, was suspended from football after allegations of sexual assault.
The suspension came last August as the team was preparing to defend its title. 'The Star Stripes' went from the hunter to the hunted as rivals smelled blood and came in to poach the team's best players. A major loss was leading goal scorer, Gaonyadiwe Ontlametse, who joined GU while head coach, William 'Raizor' Monene, also jumped the ship to join the 'Red Roses'. As the off-season in is full swing, Double Action is licking its wounds and readying to fight in the upcoming campaign. The women's game will see the introduction of a national league divided into the south and north leagues from the regional structures. The competition is expected to intensify and Double Action is reinforcing its camp.
The club has moved to appoint club legend and former Mares' captain, Bonang 'Bebeto' Mosetha (formerly Otlhagile) as the new team's head coach. Mosetha holds a CAF B coaching diploma, UEFA Career Transition certificate, FIFA youth coaching certificate, and a Sports Administration diploma from the Botswana National Olympic Committee, amongst other qualifications. She has also held positions of Mares' Under-15 head coach, the Under-17's assistant coach and also the head coach of the Gaborone Region Under-15 select team. Mosetha had a stellar career as a player as she started as a forward in her teen years before she was converted to a midfielder while she hung her boots in 2023 playing as a central defender.
She has just landed her first major coaching role with the Double Action appointment. GU is a potential threat to her club's ambitions while Security Systems are also a force to be reckoned with. The promotion of the well-resourced Police XI and Township Rollers would also add more competition in the league. Mosetha, amongst her first duties, would be to keep the team's best players from hovering vultures and also recruit emerging talent, fending competition from clubs with a deep back pocket. Double Action returned to pre-season training on Thursday.