Among all football stakeholders, coaches and players are the most criticized, and the highest expectations are placed on them. In Botswana, these are the only groups routinely called to account. No one ever seems to hold administrators or fans accountable, yet much of the control lies with them. These are the people who remain permanently attached to clubs while players and coaches come and go. The situation is not helped by the ownership models of most of our clubs.
Before a coach is appointed, he is subjected to scrutiny, first by the demands of club licensing, which stipulate the qualifications he should possess. Fans also have their own questions: where has he been, and what has he achieved? They will even flock to the ground in the early days to pass verdict based on the coach’s first training session. With what credentials they assess the coach, no one will ever know.
Players are no different. Everyone wants to watch and pass judgement; everyone wants to draw up a line-up for the coach, often based on history. One bad day at the office leaves players on death row, sentenced by the court of uninformed supporters.
Players are no different. Everyone wants to watch and pass judgement; everyone wants to draw up a line-up for the coach, often based on history. One bad day at the office leaves players on death row, sentenced by the court of uninformed supporters.
It is easy to subject players and coaches to scrutiny because their roles in the football ecosystem are clearly defined.
But the interesting question is: under what conditions are players and coaches expected to deliver results, and who should provide them?
It is the administrator who does not even understand his role in the club, yet no one subjects him to scrutiny. We find looters and clueless plunderers occupying administrative offices in local football. We find people with a track record of failing to run a tavern profitably being trusted to turn around the fortunes of clubs in the national leagues. How is that even possible? The same proven track record we demand from players and coaches should be demanded from administrators. Their leadership and management credentials should be laid bare for all to assess.
The irresponsible fan is the customer we expect to always be right, and the product should be attractively packaged for this customer. Yet here is a stakeholder who destroys talent through a lack of understanding, sparing no one from the bile spewed at them, including youngsters who sometimes fail to perform because of socioeconomic factors perpetuated by the very environment in which they operate. Instead of supporting players, they finish them off. One wonders why they never cheer a team when the chips are down to lift its spirits, only bursting into song when the team scores. These are the same people who will do everything to avoid paying a penny at the gate. They need to be policed and compelled to pay for the product.
Given the realities facing most of our clubs, the expectations placed on coaches and players are unrealistic. There is inadequate training equipment, poor facilities, a lack of funding, no player welfare and, most critically, limited administrative capacity. The environment in which players and coaches operate is deplorable, yet expectations continue to rise.
Our football needs a paradigm shift in how we approach football administration. The BFA should take the lead in imposing stricter demands on administrators through club licensing requirements. Clubs in the national leagues should have contracted CEOs with clearly defined qualifications in leadership and performance management. Otherwise, we risk sinking deeper while trying to rise. We cannot keep treating symptoms while ignoring the root causes of the problem.
