21 Aug 2023

The envisaged move to professionalise football is not only the responsibility of administrators but equally the accountability of players, says Senzo Mbatha, Botswana Football League (BFL) CEO.

Officiating at the Footballers Union of Botswana (FUB) ordinary congress in Gaborone on Saturday, Mbatha said the conduct of players speaks a lot and would guide how the country would conduct football going forward.

He said some players were known for reasons that no one would want to associate with because they were not seen as brands that one could invest in.

“I am pleading with you to work on your conduct and see yourself as a brand. Your public appearance and what you share on your social media accounts is important in building your brand,” he said.

Mbatha said as football administrators engage with potential stakeholders, players would be presented as bait to lure sponsors, therefore their conduct mattered the most.

Therefore, Mbatha said players must introspect and ensure that they were well-positioned to be used as brand ambassadors as well as becoming public icons.

However, Mbatha said football administrators must work hard to shape and brand football players.

Responding to concerns that were earlier raised by FUB president, Onalethata Tshekiso, Mbatha said he was equally concerned by the delay in resolving player-club disputes, some of which were in relation to unpaid wages.

He said one of the bodies that must be under BFL in order to run a professional league was the dispute resolution chamber to ensure that all issues relating to professionalism and players’ welfare were taken care of.

Mbatha said the status of professionalism would eventually be achieved and in the future BFL would be able to take teams to task to ensure that prior to approval of their compliance and licencing all disputes and debts were resolved.

Despite working towards running a professional league, Mbatha said the league was currently experiencing a serious shortage of support personnel among others; physiotherapists, doctors and emergency health service.

He said BFL was equally worried by the current affairs in football and constantly engage with FUB to at least attain the minimum requirements of a professional set-up.

Meanwhile, FUB president said despite the role that football players contributed to the lives of the people, it was painful to note that they were forgotten as their welfare was compromised.

Tshekiso said FUB was doing everything in its power to attend to players’ welfare.

However, he said despite the advancement in the world game, the situation in Botswana remained a concern.

He said if the BFA was failing to deliver, FUB would be under fire for failing to represent players satisfactorily.

He said the primary concern was the non-functioning of the National Dispute Resolution Chamber (NDRC).

Tshekiso said it was unfortunate to observe that all the 16 premier league clubs were recently fully licensed although some had unresolved cases and owed players.

He however applauded football players for staying committed albeit the trying circumstances under which they plied their trade.

The key to changing the current and future of the game of football, he underscored was in the hands of the players.

BFA Legal, Governance and Compliance Officer, Keene Manyothwane concurred with Tshekiso’s sentiments that football players were employees and therefore have the right to unionise and have a disputes resolution chamber.

Manyothwane said some clubs negotiated with players in bad faith and were taking advantage of the latter lack of understanding of the principles and guidelines of contracts.

“Some player agents were not aware of what was entailed in FIFA statutes and therefore whatever they settle for was in most cases not good enough for the players,” he added.

He said the NDRC or the employment court for football players was struggling to operate accordingly due to a lack of skilled manpower; something he blamed on rampant resignations due to lack of incentives.

Manyothwane also added that the NDRC statute was surpassed by time. He said the statute was drafted in 2019 and has shortcomings.

However, Manyothwane said the statute has been amended and awaits ratification on August 28, 2023, at the BFA National Executive Council (NEC).

He said the amended statute has brought with it penalties for defaulting teams leading to a deduction of points as well as registration and transfer bans. ENDS