20 Nov 2022

Willie Miti, David Tabane and Vincent Matshameko will be among spectators at the FIFA World Cup Qatar, courtesy of First National Bank Botswana (FNBB).

Miti was scheduled to attend the opening ceremony yesterday.

Tabane would leave just in time for the quarter finals while Matshameko would watch the semi-finals.

The games would be played until December 18.

On Saturday, the bank held a farewell dinner for the three lucky winners who were selected from 300 000 swipes of the FNBB swipe and win competition.

Each was awarded a double ticket and all expenses paid by the bank.

In his remarks at the send-off ceremony, FNBB business development manager retail, Maemo Baleseng, said the winners were from the first phase of the swipe and win competition.

Baleseng said in the next phase of the competition, the bank would give away P80 000 to three lucky winners from which the winner would walk away with P70 000 while others would each receive P5 000.

“By the end of January next year, FNBB would have rewarded its customers with over P1 million through competitions,” Baleseng said.In an interview, Matshameko, who was excited that he would be among spectators of the World Cup games, said he had swiped many times.

A football fanatic and German supporter, Matshameko said he would take his aunt, whom he described as his second mother, to the World Cup games.

On one hand, he encouraged customers to use digital banking for easy tracking of their transactions.

“I encourage people to go paperless because tracking your finances is important and when using cash you tend to forget where and when you used your money because you have no record,” Matshameko said.

Meanwhile, this year’s World Cup would feature 32 teams competing in eight groups. In Group A are

Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal and The Netherlands.

Group B: England, Iran, USA and Wales.

Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland

 Group D: France, Australia, Denmark and Tunisia.

Group E: Spain, Costa Rica, Germany and Japan.

Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco and Croatia

 Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon

While Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay and Korea Republic are in Group H.

The group games would take place at Al Bayt Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium, Al Thumama Stadium, Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Lusail Stadium, Ras Abu Aboud Stadium, Education City Stadium, Al Janoub Stadium.

The knockout phase of the competition would run from December 3 and the final game would be played at the Lusail Stadium in Doha on December 18. ENDS