BFL keeps fans guessing
... As decision on reducing teams is deferred
Members of the Botswana Football League ( BFL) in their annual general gathering held over the weekend were expected to pass a resolution on the reduction of the number of top flight teams at the end of the 2023/ 2024 season.
The matter is however still to be agreed upon at a special general assembly, which will be virtual, slated for the 22nd of September 2023.
The BFL Chief Executive Officer, Senzo Mbatha had previously announced that starting from the upcoming season four clubs will be relegated and champions of the First Division would be promoted and a play- off fixture will be scrapped off. The developments will see the Premier League drop to 14 for the 2024 season and will eventually reach the targeted number of 12 in the 2025/ 2026 season. “A resolution is yet to be made on that matter, some members apparently did not receive the new constitution [ which has the proposed agenda] and therefore we could not proceed. Most premier league teams, not all, have the constitution but most First Division teams did not have it. So we resolved to have a special general gathering to make a ruling on the matter,” the chairman of the league, Nicolas Zakhem told BG Sport. Zakhem further highlighted that, at least three items will be reviewed at the meeting, including the play rules and regulations of the league, this follows several incidents this past season, particularly in Football Association Orange Cup. “We are trying our level best to clean everything before we start, this will ensure that we produce a quality football product,” Zakhem added. Some members of the league had expressed amusement and concerns over the decision arguing that a consensus was not reached to make the decision. Other arguments by those against the reduction of teams is that, elite competition requires an athlete to play a certain number of matches per season, between 45 and 50 matches; cutting down the number of teams will subsequently reduce the number of games the player can reach in a season, including cup competitions. This means that the league will fall out of the professional set up bracket and there are also concerns that the players will not be able to hit their optimum levels.