WHISTLEBLOWERS IN THE DARK
As BFL releases fixtures for this weekend
The Botswana Football League (BFL) season is set to kick-off this weekend and there is already no shortage of drama. With the BFL issuing a statement that the CEO has resigned from his post on Monday, there has been another concern relating to the availability of match officials for the proposed weekend matches.
Reliable information gathered by this publication is that the local referees have not been briefed regarding the commencement of the league and or their availability over the weekend. “Like any other person, we hear about the league start on social media; we haven’t been formally engaged regarding the developments, it is just hearsay that we have been getting,” one of the officials told spectators during a training session of Gaborone United at Lekidi this week.
However, Referees Manager, Phodiso Rasetshoga said that they are ready for action should they be called upon. “Our office is the one which informs and notify our referees about the schedule; we have just received the fixtures and we will communicate accordingly, it looks like the games will start over the weekend,” Rasetshoga told this publication.
Probed more on the development, it emerged that there has not been any official engagement between the BFL office and the referees’ office pertaining to the start of the league. “We have heard of their intensions to resume the league, it is something we know of although we weren’t officially engaged on the developments, they have been getting their house in order and we have been waiting for them. Recent released fixtures suggest that all is in place for the league to start,” he said.
“The referees have been waiting for the league to start, they are ready. We have done physical trainings and they are in a good condition. I do confirm that should the games start over the weekend, we will be there to officiate,” Rasetshoga stated. In recent years, there were reports of referees downing tools ahead of the league start mainly demanding their unpaid dues, this past season however, there has been no such reports with the middle men being paid well albeit not in desired time. “The issues of payments are always there, at first division and women football, some referees have not been paid but the situation has been better in recent months. Orange recently paid referees their outstanding balances, they are the ones I can confidently state that they have paid,” a source informed this publication.