No plans for Zebras, for now

The Zebras may have been playing their last match for the year when they beat AFCON finalists Burkina Faso on Independence Day. From the tone and response of the Botswana Football Association’s (BFA) Chief Executive Officer Keith Masters, there does not seem to be any plans for the national team going forward.
Coming off that 1-0 victory of Monday, coach Stanley Tshosane is now waiting   for the BFA to give him direction on his next move. “We have given a road map for the team to the BFA. 

My belief is that we have to meet soon and discuss the way forward,” Tshosane said. With the Zebras already out of the ongoing 2014 Brazil World Cup qualifiers and the CHAN competition, the next crucial tournament is the 2015 AFCON qualifiers, whose programme should be out by now according to the coach.

Tshosane played new faces against Burkina Faso, but lamented the lack of a strong, standing Under 23 team that could serve as a feeder side that can always assure the senior team of more talent when need arises.  

The embattled coach who continues to endure intense criticism as national team mentor said the young players he selected for the Independence Day encounter were not necessarily new to the national team. “We have been calling these players to our training camps so that they are exposed to the national team. If you have been closely watching the national team you would have observed this,” he said. Tshosane said only two or three of the players were making their real debut in the national team on Monday.

The coach reiterated the significance of grooming strong locally based players as Botswana is currently exporting a lot of talented players like Ntesang Simanyana, Musa Ohilwe, and Jerome Ramatlhakwane. He opined that structures should be there to prepare young players to replace the likes of Jackie Mothathego and Alfonso Modisaotsile if they leave domestic football.

BFA CEO Masters simply said he could not comment on what was in the immediate future for the national team. “I cannot give you anything right now until our planning meeting at the end of the month,” he said. BFA president Tebogo Sebego could not be drawn into commenting as he said he was out of the country.