Letshwiti, Zakhem: What went wrong?
It is a partnership that delivered the Botswana Football Association presidency in 2016 and again, four years later. Now the relationship is strained, but what went wrong, asks Staff Writer,
Nicholas Zakhem was regarded as the power behind the throne when delegates trooped out of Tlotlo Conference Centre after a marathon Botswana Football Association (BFA) election, one late night in August 2016.
Maclean Letshwiti had defeated incumbent, Tebogo Sebego in a closely fought election. Zakhem returned to back Letshwiti last year, as again, the incumbent won a race of fine margins.
But hardly 12 months after Letshwiti was thrust back to the top seat, murmurs of discontent have emerged from an unlikely source; a man who was key in his ascendancy to power.
Zakhem has said he is unhappy with the way the game is run. In fact, if he had his way, Letshwiti should be recalled. But in contrast, Letshwiti struck a reconciliatory tone and believes it is a relationship that can be mended.
The BFA president has urged Zakhem to focus on growing local football through Gaborone United. “He is a special friend of mine. I think Zakhem is doing a lot of good things for football like bringing financial stability to Gaborone United, improving the infrastructure like his intended (stadium) project for GU.
That is what club licensing requires in order to improve the quality of the club. “My advice to him as a friend is to concentrate on the positives that he is doing for football and let the president of BFA run football.
Like in any relationship, there are things that we do not agree on, but that does not mean that we should take our fights to the public,” Letshwiti said.
“The fact that there is no football action or sponsorships is totally out of my control. I don’t decide when football will be played; it’s the laws of the country that dictate that. In short, I will say my friend should focus on making a good contribution to football. If he really says that I am, then we should not have been friends in the first place, but I think we will reconcile.
These are symptoms of having differences with your friend, but I am not perturbed,” Letshwiti said. In an interview this week, Zakhem poured out his frustrations. “We can’t be reducing teams when everyone has suffered (due to COVID-19). Yes, we want to play football and we need to be organised.
The time to be organised was before. I pleaded with him that club licensing should not be a criteria to disqualify teams. You don’t make clubs incur costs (preparing for the season) and then take measures. It is not acceptable,” he said regarding club licensing.
Five teams failed to pass club licensing requirements this week and face the chop. They were expected to appeal to the First Instance Body, which is responsible for the licensing process. He said reducing teams will create animosity and not harmony in the league. Zakhem said all teams should be treated equally, regardless of their stature. “I predict no good ending, football will not start even in January, not because of COVID-19 but because of maladministration,” he said.
He challenged the legitimacy of the BFL board and said the issue must be resolved as some clubs were not supposed to participate in the nomination of the board members. “We have a serious constitutional problem.
Football belongs to everyone. If you have chosen to lead, it doesn’t mean you must ignore or neglect. You are volunteering to do the job,” he said. Asked if he had engaged Letshwiti on the issues, Zakhem said he had done so in the past and the BFA president had acknowledged the matters raised.
“He promised that I was right and that he would address it. But what is happening now is that they are trying to cut teams, it is like vengeance. Who appointed the FIB?
It is a unilateral decision,” he said. Zakhem said the BFA emergency committee was not supposed to amend the constitution.
“Football has been hijacked by a few individuals. Yes, I campaigned for Letshwiti and I voted for him when I had the chance to vote. But you don’t win and start revenging.” He said at the moment, BFL is incurring expenses when there are no football activities.
“We are getting a loan from BFA, and that is something that we don’t want. When we get a sponsor, it means our money will be gone. We are not autonomous. We are still dependent on the association,” Zakhem said.
He said they had negotiated a reasonable broadcasting deal with Botswana Television (Btv), which would have seen the league get P5 million per season and 40% of the revenue the station generates during match day.
He, however, said the deal has been reduced to one year. “I don’t know what the reason is. If I was Btv, I wouldn’t accept the one year.” He said other sponsors are dragging their feet and clubs had not received their Orange FA Cup prize money after it was agreed the remaining eight clubs share the cash. Zakhem said as a way forward, the association should convene and map the way forward to rescue football.
“They did put a road map run by professional people on how to resurrect football. You really need an intensive programme for the way forward, with everyone’s involvement. He doesn’t have time, he has four or five weeks. He needs to overhaul the situation. That is my advice to my good old friend,” he said. Letshwiti, in his brief response, said while some of the issues raised were malicious, there was a way they could engage for the benefit of football.