The emotions had probably been bubbling under, but once fissures cracked open, the eruption has been enormous . Football has witnessed all the ugly twists and turns, with the image of the sport taking a dent with each passing episode. In one corner is Nicholas Zakhem who is not budging while at the other end, sits the BFL ‘renegades’.
The rebellious group has made it clear it has had enough of Zakhem (and to some extent, Jagdish Shah). But Zakhem says, ‘Play the game according to the rules.’ No one is prepared to blink and last week the crisis touched new levels when the BFL offices were slammed shut, locks on doors and the hapless employees sent home.
The disgruntled shareholders argue the employees are traumatized by the unfolding events and therefore deserved the three ‘manna’ days that fell their way last week. The workers are only expected to return to work today with a cloud of uncertainty still hovering above. One can imagine how it is to operate under such an unpredictable environment, not knowing what tomorrow holds, or worse still, if ever that tomorrow will come. But in the middle of this madness, spare a thought for football’s image which has taken a severe battering. It remains a mystery how the First National Bank of Botswana decided to pour millions into a game that has fought so hard to soil its image. On Friday, the Botswana Football Association (BFA) moved to suspend some shareholders seen as ring leaders particularly in the locking of BFL offices.
But expect the script to take another twist as the episode provides thrilling sub-plots. A much more firmer and decisive action is needed to stem the indiscipline tide currently sweeping through the corridors of Lekidi Centre. One can smell the scorched earth policy in full force in the BFL leadership fights.
The scorched earth policy is a military strategy of destroying anything and everything that can aid the enemy, including critical supplies such as food and water. What will be left of the BFL image after this drawn-out circus? Forget about winning the battle in this instance and think long and hard about all that matters; football. Football has become the grass that has ensured endless trampling while adults engage in a completely avoidable but damaging brawl. Differences in opinion are part and parcel of management, but it is how these conflicts are managed that sets apart boys from men. The BFL still has time to redeem itself from this saga, but only if both parties want victory for football and not their egos. For now, we wait for the next ‘wrong turn’ as it has been the case over the last two months.
