Arsenal’s Gunners of London recently suffered heartbreak in their quest to end a 19-year-old league title drought as they let a comfortable eight-point lead over Manchester City slip.
While Arsenal are on the verge of losing out on a title which for 248 days appeared within their grasp, about 12,600km away from London there is palpable dejection for the Gunners of Lobatse.
A dark cloud hovers over the black and white nation of Peleng as a community tries to come to grips with the loss of a loved one.
Extension Gunners are no longer a Botswana Premier League team, stripped of their status due to years of incessant decline.
The fall-off culminated with a confirmation of relegation last weekend, following a 1-1 draw with fellow relegation zone occupants, Mogoditshane Fighters. Gunners were the last surviving member in the Premier League that had never been demoted. But that record changed after the Fighters stalemate as Gunners are now officially part of the First Division South assembly for the first time in their illustrious history.
As the football family digest the macabre news of Gunners’ demise, the Premier League exit has long been coming.
From a healthy side of the 1990s, Gunners were barely recognisable in recent years following draining seasons of trying to dodge the dreaded relegation axe.
The energy-sapping fights for survival were not aided by persistent boardroom squabbles that sucked the remaining life out of a comatose Gunners’ body.
Despite commanding a religious following across the country, Gunners battled to replicate the form on the field of play or in the boardroom.
Money became scarce as Gunners’ days became darker and the outcome was inevitable.
The start of the season saw Gunners dismiss Oupa Kowa before he could even sit on the bench.
Phenyo ‘Mzambia’ Mongala was then entrusted with steering the Gunners’ ship and the former Zebras winger did a decent job for a club that had little financial means.
In came experienced coach, Phillimon ‘Da Phil’ Makwengwe, who last season, masterminded a great Houdini act in charge of South Africa’s Black Leopards before crossing the border to rescue the darling of Francistown, TAFIC from sliding further into oblivion. However, Makwengwe’s stay was marred by a lack of results and the ‘Phil’ threw in the towel in January.
At the time, Gunners were in 15th place with just two wins, while Makwengwe failed to win a single match with Mapantsula.
In came, Thabo ‘Mahala’ Motang, who like his predecessors, promised the club could survive relegation. But the task proved too much for the former Township Rollers goalkeeper, who left the Gunners floating in the red zone.
‘Mzambia’ was once again left in charge to rescue the situation but he too was overwhelmed as the team’s performances were already on an irreversible nosedive. Daniel ‘Chico’ Nare, who had just acrimoniously parted company with Kgatleng side, Mochudi Centre Chiefs, accepted the Gunners’ rescue mission, but already the team was firmly rooted at the bottom of the 16-team table.
A couple of promising displays against Gaborone United and Morupule Wanderers were unfortunately just the last kicks of a dying horse. But despite their demotion, it is not all gloom and doom for a club that some say deserves a break from the elite group.
In the First Division, there is the tantalising prospect of mouth-watering clashes involving old enemy, Mochudi Centre Chiefs.
Many thought Chiefs were taking a brief detour from the Premier League when they were relegated in 2018.
However, it is now turning out to be an extended stay as Magosi have prolonged their visit to the First Division for another season. This paves the way for potentially stirring ties between Magosi and Mapantsula. Gunners will be heartened to note that Chiefs have been racking the cash from the gates in the lower division, a sign that it is not all gloom and doom in the First Division.
Gunners’ demotion has also created the possibility of exciting contests with Notwane who are still battling to secure promotion to the Premier League via a play-off spot.
However, the biggest positive is that Gunners will not travel long distances anymore, as most of the First Division teams are within the Greater Gaborone.
For a side with a thin budget, this should bode well for their reincarnation. After all, Gunners are exiting a league without a sponsor for a tier that has decent financial backing from diamond miner, Debswana.
