All eyes on Amos, BFA and FIFA
Dennis Keagile | Friday January 8, 2016 12:24
Yes, this is a year that Botswana turns 50 and from a social and political perspective, this is quiet a milestone. It will be 50 years of unbridled peace and stability. But from a sporting perspective it is a year that Botswana is just beginning to uncover its potential.
How well the country does at this year’s Olympic Games to be held Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is a matter of wait and see. The potential is there, especially in athletics and all eyes will be on Nigel Amos, the 800-metre 2012 Olympic silver medalist. The country’s national sport, football, is in internecine wars and this war of egos is threatening to retard progress. It is also a year in which the Botswana Football Association president, Tebogo Sebego’s tenure comes to an end. Sebego has since assumption of the presidency struggled to control his executive or keep it together as a team.
The constant fighting within the national executive is not healthy for the game contrary to the Fair Play principle, which the world football governing body, FIFA so much espouses. The amount of distrust, anger and chicanery being played puts the association’s executive to shame. The executive cannot say it is promoting the principles of Fair Play for it is engaged in a bitter war that does not promote peace or fair play.
In fact, I wonder if the executive really believes in this principle.
I, therefore, think the executive needs prayers for peace and forgiveness and above all understanding that it is not there to promote self-interest, but to carry out the mandate as per the wishes of the 300 or so affiliates.
There is therefore need to bridge the differences between Sebego, on one hand and Pelotshweu Mashlow Motlogelwa on the other. Things cannot work well if the vice president-finance and the president are constantly at loggerheads or seem to be singing from a different hymnbook.
And, in a bid to score cheap political points, the truth has become the casualty as members of the executive have resorted to back biting and ruthless malicious rumour mongering. I, therefore, challenge each member of the executive to self-introspect and ask themselves if they are being honest and sincere. Yes there ought to be self-criticism, but what is happening at the BFA is war that can leave long-lasting damage to the game.
The game has also failed to produce alternative leaders or have a pool of people where it can choose from. This means our clubs which are always involved in internal fights have failed the nation. The instability of the clubs directly affects the national executive as it is where it recruits its members.
The issue of governance is still far from many a football administrator hence a cycle of fights at clubs. Given that the senior national soccer team, the Zebras, seem to have rediscovered its stripes it is important not to break the momentum, but I am longing for a situation where the affiliates can speak with one voice and not be used as a pawns in an elaborate drawn out chess game.
The affiliates ought to be sober in their assessment of things and I hope money is not being used to corrupt the minds of others as it has been the case with FIFA when it comes to bidding for hosting the FIFA World Cup.
We cannot have a situation where the big players in the games like Township Rollers, Gaborone United, Extension Gunners and Mochudi Centre Chiefs are all at war with themselves as is the case right now and shamefully, the national executive has joined in. Surely if the national executive cannot discipline itself how can it bring peace at the warring factions at these clubs.
I therefore call on the factional leaders, Motlogelwa and Sebego to dig deep into their reserves of humility and accept that certain things could have been handled better without polarising the personal differences. They ought to appreciate each other’s viewpoint above all do what is right and good for the association. It should not be a question of I and You.
FIFA
It is finally over for the administrative darling of European football, Michel Platini. The former France star has seen his bid for the FIFA presidency evaporate because of a $2 million payout for some ‘consultancy’ services, which have not been elaborated. He and Sepp Blatter have been banned from football for eight years. Given their service and distinguished career to the game, the sentences look a bit harsh, but who am I to question the judge who sentenced them. I am not so convinced that Platini did a lot of damage to the game on a consistent scale or it was just once-off.
Interestingly, after realising that Platini might be disqualified from contesting, UEFA has sponsored its secretary general, Italian Gianni Infantino. What surprises me most is that in May last year it backed Prince Ali Bin Hussein of Jordan against Blatter, but when Blatter decided to step down while UEFA looked for someone from its own federation.
While this makes sense from a political perspective, morally it is questionable why it cannot back Ali Bin Hussein as it did in May before Blatter decided to quit. Was it trying to play mind games by pretending not to be against Blatter yet deep down it knew it wanted him to stay. This is because even Platini by then declined to stand when requested to do so, one wonders why only he somersaulted when Blatter announced his retirement. Europe seems to have serious problems trusting anyone other than its own kith and kin hence the decision to sponsor Infantino.
Tokyo Sexwale represents Africa, but whether he can gather enough votes from his own continent is questionable considering the widespread belief that his country did not get a single vote from Africa when the country hosted the 2010 World Cup. Issa Hayatou and his troop allegedly backed Morocco, so it is anybody’s guess who will emerge victorious come February 26. I, however, think Ali Bin Hussein has a slight edge although he does not seem to have a clear blueprint.
Indeed, FIFA is at crossroads but the sooner the election is held the better. Wishing everyone a joyous and trouble-free 2016.