The Curtain Falls
In a season that the team’s top scorers; for larger parts of the season were defenders, Rollers fans will quickly want to forget about the 2021/ 2022 season, enduring frustrations on the pitch and off it. Losing to Masitaoka in the semi- finals of the FA Cup, the Onkarabile Ratanang saga, Royal Aria chaos and suspensions of club officials are some of their eventful calendar.
In the midst of it all, finishing ahead of Jwaneng Galaxy and Orapa United, in fact, losing only just four games, should soothe the hearts of most Mapalastina fans and Head Coach, Romain Folz despite a rare trophy- less season. Who would forget the BFL chairman’s war against Botswana Football Association ( BFA) President Maclean Letshwiti before the season started?
Well, part of the two leaders’ disagreement was the possible relegation of some clubs after they failed to satisfy the club licensing requirements. While Mogoditshane Fighters only just survived, Gunners despite a poor start to the season were never in danger of relegating, but unfortunately, Gilport Lions, Mahalapye Railway Highlanders and Notwane FC could not survive the inevitable and finally succumbed to what the BFA club licensing office foresaw.
The three sides are not strangers to relegation, First Division Football is a familiar territory which they all have conquered within the past half a decade and they will be looking forward to an immediate return to the local top flight football. For the first time in many years of local football, newly promoted sides all survived relegation, Masitaoka FC, Sua Flamengoes and Morupule Wanderers all impressed in their debut season, in fact they appeared to be season Premier League campaigners ahead of the likes of Extension Gunners and Prisons XI. As curtains went down on the scintillating season, legend of the lo
cal game, Joel Mogorosi also called it time on his sterling football career after winning his 9th title with Gaborone United. At the end of it all, local coaches led their sides to the title, local players led the top scoring charts and in a league without a sponsor, champions walked away with P1 million and the return of football post State Of Emergency was that exciting.