Has Ghetto let down TAFIC?

Mqondisi Dube | Tuesday December 3, 2024 09:54

The town derives endless benefits from the existence of a thriving TAFIC. No other club has come close to portraying what Francistown and its people, particularly the indigenous Kalanga tribe, represent. Despite the emergence and (ultimate demise) of clubs such as TASC and ECCO City Geens, TAFIC has stood the test of time. The red side of Francistown has weathered storm after storm, including surviving the unforgiving terrain of the First Division, to going close to relegation to the regional leagues. TAFIC has remained constant in a rapidly changing and turbulent football landscape in the country's second largest city. Many pretenders to the throne have come and gone. Who would forget a TASC side that had all the hallmarks of being a dominant national force in the early 2000s. The team had the likes of Terrence Mandaza, Ernest Amos and Tebogo Mothusi. Then there was ECCO City Greens, aka Mamoja Diskie, a side that changed narratives about teams from Francistown.

ECCO arrived like a whirlwind, and certainly left like one; decimating giants with swashbuckling ease and were a constant thorn to a stylish Mochudi Centre Chiefs side. ECCO became the first, and to date, the only team to take the Premier League crown past the Dibete cordon fence. Most recently, Ghetto saw the arrival of Eleven Angels on the big stage. But despite their pomp and fanfare introduction, the youthful side could not survive the high temperatures presented by the Premier League furnace and they melted away. At the end of last season, they retraced their steps back to a league that has had a number of familiar Francistown names like Amakhosi, Calendar Stars, TASC, ECCO and GNT. While other clubs in Francistown have tried hard to take the crown of being the city's favourite, none has managed to dislodge the red machine, also known as Matjimenyenga and the melodious Undipe ndikupe. TAFIC has had their struggles which can be attributed to a whole city of more than 100, 000 inhabitants failing to fully rally behind an enduring brand.

The club has often struggled to get sponsorship from Francistown companies, being forced to look 400km away for help. To a certain extent, that is understandable given the lopsided nature of developments, with the country's economic activity largely centralised in Gaborone. This has left other centres to feed on crumbs and it trickles down to football teams. This ripple effect has seen players opt for the bright lights of Gaborone where they are guaranteed a better pay cheque. Over the weekend, TAFIC decided to take its top of the table clash against Mochudi Centre Chiefs to Gaborone, in search of better returns from the turnstiles. They know the Gaborone month-end crowd will offer more than their faithful in the Ghetto. Unfair as it is, they had to do it considering their shallow pockets. By now, the Francistown crowd should be trusted enough to back Matjimenyenga, and play their other part in the Ndipe ndikupe rallying cry. The relationship has to be reciprocal as TAFIC's presence benefits even the men and women on the street selling their hotdogs on match day.