BFA reverses suspensions
Kabelo Boranabi | Monday November 11, 2024 14:47
The country’s most popular sport had witnessed unending fights under the previous administration led by then-president, Maclean Letshwiti. This year alone, the BFA had slapped suspensions on former Masitaoka chairperson, Godfrey Ratlhaga and Lame Makache of Matebele FC for their involvement in the Botswana Football League (BFL) leadership wars. The duo was part of a group of shareholders’ representatives who closed the BFL offices and forced staff at the secretariat to go on a three-day leave at the end of February. Then, the BFA’s Emergency Committee considered suspending two BFL officials involved in the coup that ousted former BFL chairperson, Nicholas Zakhem and Jagdish Shah, who served in the BFL executive committee. Former BFA president, Tebogo Sebego, was also slapped with suspension for allegedly bringing the game into disrepute.
However, the BFA’s Disciplinary and Appeals committees both cleared Sebego of the charges. Former women’s football national champions, Double Action’s founder and director, Senki Sesinyi was suspended from football activities in 2023 over allegations of sexual misconduct. Mexican Girls’ founder and head coach, Oaitse Moeti, was also slapped with an indefinite suspension for making ‘unsavoury utterances’ against the BFA in an interview with a local newspaper. Speaking in a press briefing this week, Babitseng said the association has decided to rescind all the suspensions, except for cases being handled by the police. Babitseng further told the journalists that the BFA has also decided to withdraw all the matters they have brought before the courts of law. In a high-profile matter, in 2023, the BFA took telecommunications giant, Mascom Wireless, to court in a dispute over the sponsorship of the Top 8 tournament. Mascom Wireless abruptly pulled out of the partnership and the BFA was claiming over P17 million in damages for breach of contract. The matter was referred to arbitration and the BFA Arbitration Tribunal issued a ruling in favour of the BFA. The Tribunal found that Mascom Wireless had breached its contract with the BFA and ordered it to pay the BFA P17 million in damages.
Mascom Wireless appealed the ruling, and the matter was before the Court of Appeal. “There was an issue to taking partners and key stakeholders to court and we have taken a decision to rescind those. I can confirm that we do not have any cases at court against our previous partners and we are working on how best we can move forward,” Babitseng said. Babitseng was elected to the BFA hoot seat in September and this week gave an update from the operations of his administration on the halfway mark to the first 100 days in office.