Zakhem to step down
Following a decision by the Botswana Football Association (BFA) to rescind the autonomy of the Botswana Football League (BFL), some changes are expected on some operational structures at the Association.
The BFA elective Annual General Assembly (AGA) is expected to be held on the early days of September 2024 where the football community will usher in their preferred candidates for the leadership of the local football’s high office.
The current BFL Chairman, Nicolas Zakhem who has been a subject of several attacks from some shareholders and board members of the league, will step down, both from the chairmanship of the BFL and also the National Executive Committee (NEC) board, BG Sport has learnt. Contacted for a comment, Zakhem confirmed to this publication, his decision to leave his current positions at the BFA’s AGA. “It’s true, I will step down at the BFA’s Annual General Assembly, both as the chairman of the league and a board member. I have always maintained that I will do that when the time is right, and that will actually allow me more time to focus on my club [Gaborone United],” he said.
He further explained that there is a need to create a conducive football environment which the corporate world will be keen to partner with.
Zakhem has enjoyed several victories against his detractors, including against Godfrey Ratlhaga, most recently at the High Court of Botswana on Tuesday, in a case in which the latter wanted Zakhem to be thrown off the BFL chairmanship; the case was dismissed with costs.
The business mogul was reinstated as the BFL chairman by the BFA’s Arbitration Tribunal and despite his successes in defending his position, he has told close allies that he will step down at the BFA’s Annual General Assembly (AGA), slated for September later this year.
A number of individuals within local football structures have accused the Gaborone United director of ruling with an iron fist at BFL, with the BFA’s leadership ruling under his command. It was expected that at the BFL’s annual general meeting, a new board committee will be appointed and a new independent chairman was to be identified, that however will no longer be the case as the BFA has seized control of the league.
Quizzed on the decision by the BFA to take control of the BFL, Zakhem acknowledged the challenges that the company has endured since its formation in 2022, but remains hopeful that the independence of the league will be given back in the future.
“It has been a challenging exercise I must admit, clubs need to be professional and transition into commercial entities and that will help the BFL to operate better. I believe once everything has settled, the BFA will grant back the autonomy.
The sooner the club privatize, the quicker the BFA will hand back the league, which is a key component," he said. "We can’t ignore that we have a crisis, we have passed through a difficult phase and the BFA as the custodians of the game have decided to restore order and take control. It is the responsibility of everyone involved in football to ensure that the autonomy of the league is handed back,” he added.
The BFA are set to maintain the current secretariat of the league, including the chief executive officer, Bennett Mamelodi who was temporarily appointed after the departure of Senzo Mbatha.
“Not a lot has changed, the BFA will be just overseeing the operations of the league, just as it was during the reign of, Mamelodi and Styles Ntshinogang,” a BFL board member told this publication. “We assessed the situation and agreed what happened in the past three years is not good for football and we can’t let it continue like that, at one point in time we had to intervene like we did. We are going to restructure it, rephrase it and make sure that it is a well-crafted product when we ultimately give it back. The ultimate goal is the league must be a separate entity,” BFA CEO, Mfolo Mfolo stated during a press briefing on Tuesday.
Further developments on the operations of the BFL shall come to light at the association’s AGM, with FNB Botswana having sponsored the league for the 2024/2025 campaign, issues of governance and proper running of the league has become a key priority for all involved with local football.