Coach undeterred by contract issue
Letshwiti says it is being addressed
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FRANCISTOWN: The Mares coach, Gaolethoo ‘Ronaldo’ Nkutlwisang has said she is undeterred about her contract situation at the Botswana Football Association (BFA).
‘Ronaldo’, who has been in the technical setup of the BFA for 12 years before she ascended to the coaching post, has been working without a contract.
She made history by guiding the team to its maiden Africa Women Cup of Nations (AWCON) tournament that will be held in Morocco in July. ‘Ronaldo’ emulated the feat that was achieved by Stanley Tshosane in 2012, who was the head coach of the men’s senior national football team, Zebras, following their successful campaign, which booked them a place in the continental showpiece that was co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
Speaking to Mmegi Sport on Wednesday following the Mares’ historic qualification, ‘Ronaldo’ said patience and perseverance led the team to its stellar performance. “I started this project with this group in 2008.
The only player who is old in the team is our captain Bonang Otlhagile while the average age of the team is around 26. I know the strengths and weaknesses of every individual player in the team,” said ‘Ronaldo’.
When asked if she has qualms about not having a contract with the BFA, ‘Ronaldo’ said the issue is neither here nor there. “I am just looking at the bigger picture and not concentrating on whether I will be given a contract going forward after I helped the team to qualify. All in all, I will appreciate it very much if I will be given a contract,” Ronaldo stated.
The victorious coach expressed hope that the draw for the tournament will be released at the earliest possible time so that they can have ample time to analyse their opponents in Morocco.
Meanwhile, Nkutlwisang said there has been interest for her services from abroad. But she has assured that she will lead the Mares at the finals. “There are teams from outside the country that have shown interest in my services.
I think my name gained prominence in southern Africa after I led the team (Mares) to our first ever COSAFA (Women’s Championship) final, and that was two years ago. Ever since then, I had two teams enquiring about my availability.
One is in Zambia in the top league and the other one is from Tanzania. It pleases me that my work is getting recognition beyond the country’s borders. Even the women in the
COSAFA technical department have lauded me on my progress. That makes me very happy. But I had to decline the two offers because I had a service to perform to my country.
I have started this journey with this team and I will stay with the team until Morocco. I want to finish what I have started with this team,” Nkutlwisang said. BFA president Maclean Letshwiti told Mmegi Sport that the association is working on a contract for Nkutliswang. “We have started talks with the Botswana National Sports Commission (BNSC) on issues relating to the coach. It is not only the coach who does not have a contract; other technical team members do not have contracts.
We intend to give them contracts as well,” Letshwiti said. He explained that the reason why it has taken so long to reward the coach and other technical team members with contracts is because of a lack of funds.
“The whole technical team has been doing very well. They have sacrificed a lot for so many years. It is important that when people are doing well, they are fairly rewarded. Giving them contracts will be one way of thanking them for the sacrifices that they have made over the years.”
Although he did not give a time frame, Letshwiti expressed hope that issues will be resolved before the AWCON tournament in Morocco. “Going forward, we would like the BFA to organise friendly games with teams that have also qualified for the Morocco tournament but are not in our group. This will give us the opportunity to gauge our strengths and weaknesses against those teams,” ‘Ronaldo’ pleaded.