BPL’s shifting balance of power
As the Botswana Premier League (BPL) campaign enters Round Seven, the usual culprits are beginning to pull away from the rest of the chasing pack, forming a familiar-looking cluster at the top, observes
Gaborone United, Jwaneng Galaxy, Township Rollers and Orapa United; you can re-arrange the list in any order and you will still get the acknowledged leaders of Botswana’s 16-team topflight assembly.
The four teams have emerged as the BPL’s big boys in recent seasons. There is always pretence here and there from the likes of Security Systems but the line has been emphatically drawn.
In the Premier League there is the big six and it has remained unchanged for a long time now. Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham are regarded as the six leading sides and the table usually reflects the dominance.
Six matches into the BPL season, Botswana’s football cream has risen to the top as the kaleidoscopic pieces of a morphing title fight takes early shape.
At the turn of the millennium, BDF XI, Mogoditshane Fighters and Police XI were part of a dominant crew sponsored by government institutions. So dominant that Fighters won three titles on the trot under the stewardship of the late David Bright, prompting angry reactions from community teams who felt the scales were unbalanced. A breakaway league was mooted as the likes of Rollers, GU found themselves in the First Division penitentiary. Trying to break free, community clubs threatened to form the Botswana Soccer Association (BOSA) as they felt institutions sides were more resourced and therefore competed unfairly. A decision was taken to expand the league from 12-16 teams to accommodate the grieving GU and Rollers. The dominance of institution teams was temporarily
halted as the returning Rollers won the double in 2005 under the late Joseph ‘Banks’ Panene. Police XI claimed the league honours the following season, before a shock entry in 2007.
A rather unknown quantity in ECCO City
Greens took over and the Francistown side proved to be a breath of fresh air. ‘Mamoja Diski’ became the first side from the north to win the title, a feat which has not been bettered to date.
From then, community teams have been the dominant force with the title exchanging hands among, Mochudi Centre Chiefs, GU, Rollers and once to Galaxy.
With Chiefs relegated to the First Division in 2018, BDF XI and Police XI struggling to re-establish the glory days, a new ‘foursome’ force has taken over the control of the BPL.
And it has taken just six matches into the season for the leading quartet to start pulling away.
In 2016/2017, Rollers, Galaxy and Orapa finished in the top three respectively, while Extension Gunners, another side which should be part of the ensemble, claiming fourth. The following season, Rollers were the champions while Galaxy and Orapa were again second and third respectively. Miscellaneous were fourth, while GU were knocking on the top four door, finishing fifth. It was the same order for the top three position in the 2018/2019 season, with Police XI taking fourth position.
With the league halted prematurely the following campaign due to COVID-19, Galaxy were declared champions, with Rollers second and Orapa third as the three sides maintained their consistency. Police XI finished fourth during that season.
Last season, the dominant four occupied the top four positions for the first time as GU ended a 12-season drought to land the title. Rollers finished second with Galaxy occupying third spot while fellow diamond miners, Orapa were fourth. Knock-out competitions, the Orange FA Cup and Mascom Top 8 have been shared among the four sides since 2012, underlying their emergence as the undisputed cream of Botswana football.