Daggers out for Sebego

Factions, lack of trust and infighting continue to haunt the national executive committee of football’s mother-body as it convenes this Friday to deliberate on critical issues affecting local football.

There are reports doing rounds already that a motion of no confidence is being hatched to oust the embattled Botswana Football Association’s (BFA) president Tebogo Sebego whose four year tenure at the helm of the association has been characterised by infighting.

Sebego has previously survived planned ousters by the skin of his teeth. He presides over an executive committee whose loyalty towards him is suspect. According to an insider, fellow executive committee members often criticise the president publicly, risking a poisoned atmosphere that always holds the growth of football to ransom.

So apparent are these infightings that at one point the sports minister Thapelo Olopeng was prompted to reprimand the NEC, calling on all of them to come to their senses as their infightings were scaring potential sponsors away.

Late last year at NEC’s last meeting, chaos broke out when a certain member who had chaired a regional bloc and his  term as chairman had elapsed was replaced unceremoniously. The said official then stormed into the NEC meeting without an invitation. This development caused uproar within NEC’s warring factions and erupted into heated debates between the pro-Sebego and anti Sebego camps.

Inside sources said the worst was only averted when the nearest police were called in to restore order. It is said that the anti-Sebego camp prevailed over the meeting to include the said chairman in the NEC as an additional member to fill the vacancy left by Basadi Akoonyatse, who is now Vice President Administration.

Now, information reaching BG Sport says that this Friday daggers are again drawn out against Sebego, ostensibly to punish him for successfully backing his man – the new CEO Kitso Kemoen – in their last meeting. It is said that some elements within the NEC want Kemoen out because he is not toeing their line. In fact, it is said that unlike his predecessors, Kemoen has closed opportunities for financial malpractice, such as a case whereby a NEC member could come and write letters and make cheques without the knowledge of the chief executive officer.

Approached for comment regarding the looming motion of no confidence on him, Sebego laughed it off as illogical. “If people want to remove me there is a platform to do so, it is the national assembly,” he said, adding that Friday’s NEC meeting already has an agenda, and it has no item on a motion of no confidence.

One of the agenda items for the Friday meeting will be briefing NEC members on progress made on the BancABC sponsorship. BFA is believed to have met BancABC management last Friday and discussed the finer details of the sponsorship.