The action is getting hotter in Qatar, but fans' loyalty to the local football delicacy will be tested when crowd pullers, Gaborone United and Township Rollers engage in a battle of attrition at 3.30pm tomorrow.
It is the biggest game in the Botswana Premier League (BPL) calendar as the reigning champions face former title holders. Since the start of the campaign, teams have done the battle in front of almost empty seats as local fans continue to shun the BPL games. There had been many factors to this, including the newly preferred social football tournaments.
Now a much bigger threat has emerged in the form of the FIFA World Cup, which has a global appeal. The Qatar tournament has thus far, even before the conclusion of the first round of group stages games, thrilled with surprise results the order of the day, keeping fans glued to their screens. At the same time, rivals GU and Rollers are in concert, rallying for support for the weekend’s game.
It is a tough ask for the clubs but the derby is as enticing as it can be. Top local talents will battle under some of the biggest brands in local football, a valid reason for one to be at the National Stadium tomorrow afternoon.
The World Cup has, however, landed the first blow. The derby match kick-off has been moved to kick-off 30 minutes earlier than the usual 4pm start. This is to allow the national broadcaster, Botswana Television (Btv) to beam the game live. Btv is due to broadcast the France and Denmark Group D tie soon after the derby. Last-minute adjustments had to be made for the Gaborone Derby to make it to the local screens, with Btv being the league's major financier. GU, the home side, has gone all out to entice local football fans.
There is a curtain raiser for the game with the women teams’ derby tie at 11.30am. There will also be performances by Charma Gal, Casper the DJ, and DJ Modric. GU’s brand and marketing manager, Herbert Letsebe said there is some hype for the derby game and said as bait, alcohol will be sold at the stadium. “We have reached an agreement with the Botswana National Sports Commission (BNSC) to sell alcohol at the stadium. No alcohol will be sold outside the stadium and no bottles will be allowed inside the stadium,” Letsebe said.
The Reds have hyped the game on their social media platforms for two weeks now and this was followed by activations in Gaborone malls this week. Township Rollers’ public relations officer, Bafana Pheto rallied fans for the game. “This is a battle and every battle needs witnesses. Our intention is that football fans should come and witness everything in the National Stadium,” he said.
Tickets for the game are selling at P50 for the grandstand while P30 is for the other stands.
