Tebogo Sebego has an upper hand to win the top seat heading into the upcoming August 22 Botswana Football Association (BFA) Elective Congress,says BTV football analyst Bernard Mmutle.
Botswana football is set to elect a new executive committee four years later after President Maclean Letswiti’s tenure elapses come Francistown blockbuster
BFA Elections.
The elections contested by BFA Presidential candidate Oekeditse Malesu,incumbent BFA President Maclean Letswiti and former BFA President Tebogo Sebego are a close call by local football pundits. SPORTSNATION staffer Kabelo Seleka engages BTV and Duma FM’s Bernard Mmutle.
TALKING POINTS
- Sebego`s role at Notwane FC
- Sebego`s Presidencial bid
- BPL Price Money
- BFA Cashless Broadcast deal
- BPL Club Engagement and Club Transformation
TEBOGO SEBEGO REBUILDING OF NOTWANE FC MAKES HIM A CUT ABOVE THE REST
Away from BFA politics,Tebogo Sebego has spent a considerable amount of time in rebuilding Notwane FC making him a cut above MacLean Letswiti and Oekeditse Malesu,narrates Bernard Mmutle.”
Tebogo Sebego returned to football administration as the new
Notwane FC President in 2017 following his presidential bid loss in 2016.
He spearheaded the club’s goal in returning to the BTC Premiership among other targets.Under his leadership the club is ran professionally and in turn attracting sponsors.
“How Notwane FC has transformed into being managed better,attracting sponsors,promotion into the elite league gives him an edge,said Bernard Mmutle.”
Professionally,Tebogo Sebego is a law practitioner.
SEBEGO HAS BEEN IN THE GAME FOR A LONGER TIME
Maclean Letswiti is said to have came into football as an investor to Mochudi Center Chiefs during its yesteryear’s glory era.
He is however regarded to have less experience in football than Sebego,meanwhile Malesus wealth of sports administration in different sporting codes reportedly still makes him a newbie in football business making Sebego stands out in the race.
“He has been in football for a very long time,he has been at Notwane and probably stands out as the answer to the current state of Botswana football,said Mmutle.”
Moreover ,
Bernard Mmutle`s take on Malesu`s dismissal as the then BFA CEO is that some delegates may believe if he “failed” as a CEO how can they entrust him with the presidency.
TEBOGO SEBEGO LOYALISTS ARE KEY TO HIS WIN IN BFA ELECTIONS
Bernard Mmutle has suggested that Tebogo Sebego’s previous BFA Presidency has earned him some loyalists.
“Sebego has been the President before so he knows that he has voters already in the pocket,said Bernard Mmutle.”
Furthermore,he believes that they would vouch for him at the BFA Elective Congress particularly those against MacLean Letswiti’s administration.
BPL PRICE MONEY ISSUE GIVES SEBEGO AN ADVANTAGE
Commenting on the significance and insignificance of Botswana Premier League(BPL)’s
2019/2020 BTC Premiership priceless football,Bernard Mmutle opined that the issue of interest may backfire on the incumbent BFA President and give the Notwane FC boss an advantage.
“Sebego has been there before,he prides himself as a football leader who had no prize money issues like his counterpart,since the issue of price money,things have gone from bad to worse under Letswiti administration,echoed Bernard Mmutle.”
Earlier in the year,2019/2020 BPL season was declared priceless after the tittle sponsor Botswana Telecommunications Corporation(BTC) decreased its monetary incentive from P13 million to P5million due to some unmet contractual obligations and financial complications by BPL.
CASHLESS BFA-BTV BROADCAST DEAL
Bernard Mmutle voiced that the broadcast deal has had a major impact in Letswiti’s fate at the BFA elections though signed in Sebego’s era.
At the time,Sebego argued that the cashless deal was a co-production deal meant to usher in Supersport as another broadcaster and benefit the BPL.
Unfortunately BTV not producing High Quality resulted in Supersport not coming on board.
Moreover government reportedly threatened to pull out funding to BFA if BTV did not will the rights.
The repercussions of the deal came to see the light of the day when Letswiti assumed the BFA President post sent the orchestrator of the deal packing Bennett Mamelodi and not doing anything regarding the deal.
The youthful football analyst uttered that the controversies surrounding BPL priceless league,BTC sponsorship and others are caused by the deal giving the Letswiti naysayers an ammunition to vote for Sebego.
“The sponsorship issue goes back to all the cashless deal gone wrong,additionally Notwane recently attracting sponsors gives delegates hope that Sebego will save the day,lamented Mmutle.”
BTV was given a five year contract to
broadcast premier league matches. Of these five years, three were to be paid for and the other two were to be broadcast free.
MACLEAN LETSWITI NOT RULLED OUT IN THE BFA ELECTIONS
Bernard Mmutle has stated that the incumbent President remains not ruled out in winning the elections.
The analyst in Mmutle has praised Letswiti for adding a catalyst to women football,returning the Orange FA Cup,BTC Charity cup,sponsorship among other initiatives.
“He has a chance,he increased regions period,recent initiatives such as league transformation roadmap workshops are some of the factors that may earn him votes,opined Mmutle.”
Tebogo Sebego is the predecessor to
Maclean Letswiti’s presidency having have lost 32-28 in a re-run of a closely fought election contest in 2016.
TEAM SEBEGO (Friends of Football)
- PRESIDENT: Tèbogo Sebego
- 1st VICE PRESIDENT: Maokaneng Bontshetse
- 2nd VICE PRESIDENT: Senki Sesenyi
- WOMEN REPRESENTATIVE: Itsholeng Disang
- ORDINARY MEMBERS
- Goemeone Letebele
- Carlos Sebina
- Kesego Okie