A game in need of a kiss of life

Not exactly in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) but football is in some sick bed in desperate need of a kiss of life. The Premier League is expected to kick-off this weekend but the taste could be that of coffee without sugar.

For the second season running, there will be no title sponsor and possibly, the incapacitated clubs might have to make do without grants. This is a marked departure from the sparkling early days of the beMOBILE Premier League. A weekend without a visit to the stadium to immerse in the local football delicacy was incomplete.

But the void is no longer felt as scores of local fans are now refugees in the DStv Premiership, the English Premier League, Serie A, the La Liga and a host of other foreign football dishes.

Do they have much choice? The answer is an emphatic no. Fans want a product that will excite them and tickle their taste buds. The Botswana Premier League (BPL) is not offering the excitement at the moment and a lot needs to be done to get the product to the levels where it is supposed to be.

It’s deep into October and the Premier League is yet to start. Boardroom issues have been the dominant force, with talk of five clubs failing to obtain licences the major talking point. Your ordinary football fan would struggle to name the starting 11 of any team. Even some Zebras players are relatively unknown, largely due to the disinterest in the local game. That has to change and change fast. All roads should start leading to the Molepolole Sports Complex, the Obed Itani Chilume Stadium, the National Stadium, the Lobatse Sports Complex, amongst others. These were well trodden paths during the glorious period of the beMOBILE Premier League. It feels like football died with the transition from the beMOBILE to the BTC Premiership. The product is the same, but the taste is no longer the same.

The urge to fuel the car or jump into a combi clad in a football jersey to attend a local match is fading away. There are competing interests on television; there is Erling Haaland waiting to thrill, there is Mamelodi Sundowns, your Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates to talk about in a plethora of available football options. Forget patriotism, the product must be right to attract interest. Patronage cannot therefore, be expected on a silver platter.

Only last week, the Botswana Football Association (BFA) president, Maclean Letshwiti lambasted the BFL for the yo-yo way of running what should be Botswana’s premium football competition. He said sponsors have deserted due to the manner the BFL is operating and clubs have also not come to the party with their laisser-faire attitude in running their operations. Who would then blame the fan for keeping his hard earned pula in their pockets?

Local football is still struggling to offer the fan a full package. Why does it take so long to allow the sale of alcohol at matches? Who would want to sacrifice their Saturday afternoon for a bore at the stadium? Sounds too harsh but a kick on the back is needed to reinvigorate local soccer and make it a game of choice again. Pitted against the endless, attractive opportunities of international leagues, the local game runs the risk of losing further ground. But there is still plenty of time to turn things around including the Botswana Television

knowing how to broadcast a quality