It must be noted that cutting teams is not a new concept. It dates back to a meeting held in a conference room at Bosele Hotel in Selebi-Phikwe in 2008. That meeting of football brains emerged with what became known as the Bosele Declaration.
Among proposals to progress the local game was to reduce Premier League teams from 16 to 12, in order to improve the quality of the product. In truth, some of the 16 teams rarely add the needed quality in the league and mostly make up numbers.
Some are involved in the regular yo-yo, frequenting between the Premier League and the First Division. Some of the matches attract fewer than 100 spectators and this can be hardly ideal in driving the game forward.
These teams, under normal conditions, are also entitled to grants and prize money despite adding little gloss to the overall quality of the product. My other argument was based on resources. It is no secret that the Botswana Premier League is struggling with finances. As it stands, there is no title sponsor and prize money has shrunk in the last few seasons. In some seasons, clubs have had to make do without grants. This is not an ideal situation for what should be the country’s premier division.
Therefore, reducing teams from 16 to 12 will address the above two concerns, that is, quality and resources. One might say it is subjective that quality will improve, but the assumption is that the 12 teams that will make the new Premier League, will be of the right quality and be sufficiently resourced. However, the argument does not end there.
There is the other corner that contends that there will be reduced entertainment when teams are cut as the spread of clubs would be significantly limited. Crowd pullers who struggle with resources, like your Extension Gunners and Mochudi Centre Chiefs might find themselves perennially out, looking in. It could be a game of the resourced institutional teams like Jwaneng Galaxy and Orapa United. Some argue the reduced playing time for the top division could affect the national team’s performance.
With a 12 team assembly, each side will play only 22 games, eight less than the current arrangement. However, one might counter that even with a 16-team league, the Zebras have been consistently under-performing. Granted, a leaner Premier League would mean the Zebras coach has a limited pool to pick from, and a host other players will be unemployed under the new arrangement. There are no hard and fast rules here, but the issue could be re-debated and a consensus reached.
Reports are that the decision to cut the teams already faces resistance, although it appears to be cast in stone as four teams will be chopped at the end of the season. The Botswana Football League is between a rock and hard place, either way they are damned. Probably putting the matter to vote among all Botswana Football Association (BFA) affiliates could be the way to go; after all in a democracy, the majority rules.
