But that is a debate for the latter part of today’s column. For the uninitiated, the BFA recently sent a reminder to clubs that they should not sign foreign players with less than three national team caps. Those caps can be earned from any age group; that is from junior up to senior national teams. The announcement caused a lot of discomfort with accusations that the BFA is inept. I am shocked that the BFA has chosen to be quiet in this matter when all stones are thrown at Lekidi Centre. I may need some lessons on the crafting of local football rules and regulations, but from my understanding and my interaction with the BFA chief executive officer, Mfolo Mfolo, the rule around the signing of foreign players is not new.
The ink has long dried as the regulation came into effect last year October. The issue for now, is not about the rule being a good or bad rule. It is about how clubs can fail to pick something that is in black and white for nearly a year. It is either this rule was not enforced or the clubs do not read their own rules. My understanding is that the rule came into effect in October 2022, and was approved by the General Assembly during the November 2022 sitting. The general assembly makes the laws. I am here wondering, after last year’s Generaly Assembly, the clubs did not bother to check what had been agreed upon? Here clubs cannot turn and accuse the BFA as if this is a new rule.
That should not be the argument. If it was a bad rule then it was supposed to be stopped at the earliest stages. On the rule itself, I would submit that it is not a progressive rule. Granted, the authorities want to protect the interests of the local players, but they went to the extreme end. Is the Botswana league incentivizing well enough to attract players with national team caps only? Remember such players are sought after in other leagues, and such players come at a cost. Again, are we saying only players with national team caps are good enough? Knowledge Musona, who went on to terrorise defenders in South Africa, did not have a single cap when he signed for Kaizer Chiefs. The examples are countless.
The late Mandla Balanda is listed as one of Gaborone United’s finest imports, but he never saw the doors of the national team. It is a flawed approached. This should be revised as soon as possible. Some players, due to their countries’ large populations, do not get the chance to represent their national teams, but it does not mean they are not good enough. Take Nigeria for instance, there are more than 700 professional players abroad, and not all of them get the chance to represent the national team. Does it mean they cannot play for a club in Botswana? We should not stone the BFA to death on this one, as I think the authorities were well meaning and wanted to protect the local players. However, it is not too late to re-think and modify the rule.
