GABORONE UNITED SC RETURNS TO CAF SHOWDOWN 8 YEARS LATER
BY: Alex Jacob
Gaborone United SC makes a remarkable debut in continental football after eight years of absence in the showpiece.SPORTSNATION staff writer Alex Jacob with more.
The Botswana Premier League(BPL) giants participated in the elite league without any luck in tasting the African football extravaganza.
Gaborone United SC will ignite their 2022/22 CAF Champions League on September 11 against AS VITA at the national stadium. Kick-off is at 18:00 hrs.
GABORONE UNITED SC IN CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
The reds competed in the CAF champions league in the 2010/11 season where they were playing against Dynamos from Zimbabwe and Curepipe United. Gaborone United SC lost all their games before reaching the group stages. The team was led by Rahman Gumbo from
Zimbabwe.
In 2013,Moyagolele as affectionately called participated in the CAF champion’s
League where they played to a two-all draw against Liga Mucalmana in their last game in Gaborone leaving the aggregate score at 2-1.
The last time Gaborone United played CAF champions league was on February 15, 2014, under coach Major David Bright where they lost to Supersport United in the preliminaries both
home and away by one goal to nil and two goals to nil respectively.
THE REDS ARE READY TO COMPETE
Even though the team did not perform well in their previous participation in the tournament, the team is well prepared to offer a breathtaking game of football to their opponents.
Looking at the quality of players that the team has, gives the reds an outstanding advantage in doing exceptionally well in the tournament as much as they have well-experienced players like their all-time goal scorer Thatayaone ‘Messi’ Kgamanyane.
Players like Mothusi Cooper, Thero Setsile, and Lebogang Ditsile are experienced key players that will lead other players towards victory due to the influence they have on youngsters.
The club has hosted a pre-season tournament in Francistown as a way of preparing for the CAF champions league and the league as well.
The club continues the preparations with six of their players who are on national team duty in Madagascar which gives the team an added advantage of having more experienced players.
The team’s head coach Benny Kgomela who is holding a CAF A coaching license states that they are preparing very well and everything is going accordingly in the preparation.
When asked in the interview The Reds head coach says that after assessing his squad in a pre-season tournament he is confident that his side will compete against AS VITA as they tried different combinations in the two games that they played and they are satisfied with what they have.
He added that his side will have to be ruthless in the final third. He continues saying that goals win games so they will have to finish the clash on this side.
Gaborone United SC has a solid squad that consists of international players that will help bring international experience to the team which really assures the fans of the mighty Reds that the team has prepared very well for the continental competition.
Looking at the performance of the team in the previous season the team was performing well which really give much hope to the club’s supporters.
As good as the team is performing, better results are expected, and for the fact that they currently holding on to a very good form.
GU IS ONE OF BOTSWANA`S TOP CLUBS
The team remains one of the most successful clubs in Botswana having won the Botswana Premier League seven times, Botswana Cup Challenges seven times, and Mascom Top 8 tournament two times in 2013 and 2015 just to mention a few.
CAF champion’s league is an annual club football competition organized by the confederation of African football and contested by top-division African clubs, deciding the competition winners through a round-robin group stage to qualify for a double-legged knockout stage, and then a single-leg final.
