I did this as indeed the life and times of my tenure at the Botswana Football Association (BFA) headquarters in Gaborone were exactly that; a roller-coaster ride of highs and lows. There were very difficult moments, as indeed there were times of great fulfilment and joy.
The court cases that we were dragged into are a case in point and where we had to do what I particularly disliked; resolving football disputes in a court of law. It was a blessing when FIFA came up with rules that prohibited this cause of action in member association statutes.
On the other hand, this development was a stark reminder that the best way to eliminate these challenges would be to improve our management of the league and the development of our referees. Of course, FIFA then directed that there should be opportunities for clubs or aggrieved parties to ventilate their grievances at tribunals within the association statutes and, as in our case, the National Appeals Board. As a final layer, FIFA and other sport bodies came up with the Court of Arbitration (CAS) in sport residing in Switzerland as the recognised final point of arbitration. Interestingly, even organisations like FIFA and World Athletics have been challenged by CAS.
The chapter quite interestingly shares only one high and one low. It shall be recalled that during the FIFA World Cup in Italy in 1990, where the Zebras were still limited to only regular participation in Independence Day celebrations, we managed to pull off a scoop by getting the quarterfinalists of Italia 1990, Cameroon, who had beaten Argentina in the opening game, to face the Zebras on September 30, 1990. A high by all accounts. This was made possible through the contacts that Ismail Bhamjee, then my vice president, had made in the world of football. It was inexplicable that the lowly rated Botswana could attract Africa’s hottest football property at the time.
There were many twists and turns to this event, including the possibility of Cameroon not coming when all preparations and the people of Botswana were looking forward to hosting the Indomitable Lions. The media hype ahead of this game, including and particularly from neighbouring South Africa, had reached unimaginable heights. Add to that the drama of having them flown on a chartered flight, upon landing in Johannesburg to Gaborone, with only hours before the scheduled kick-off at the National Stadium in Gaborone, perhaps the first by the BFA, was a hair-raising experience. That the final score was a drab one-all draw against a slightly fatigued Cameroon side without the legendary Roger Milla did not detract us from recording this as a major achievement – a high by all accounts. Zebras followers celebrated a draw against an African team that had performed admirably at the World Cup.
In respect of the low, I will spare the reader for now, a personal and verbal onslaught during a Super League game featuring Extension Gunners FC and Gaborone United FC, from a female fan of Extension Gunners FC. It was one of those occasions that I was driven to the edge of the precipice. The vitriolic attacks generously dispensed by the young woman were beyond diabolical. More on this one in the book!
*Mamelodi is the author of the book, Protecting The Game. The launch of the book has been set for April 3, 2024. Invitations will be shared next week. Pre-orders and sales of the book have now started. Enquiries can be made directly with the author.
#AshfordMamelodi; #ProtectingTheGame; #SoccerMemoir; #bookclub; #Botswana; #Football
