Cash-strapped Blues beg for help
Ailing Premier League giants, Township Rollers have brought out the begging bowl, calling on supporters and well wishers to dig into their pockets and back their ‘Adopt-a-Player’ campaign.
Unveiled on Wednesday, besides players, the newly-introduced scheme extends to the members of the technical team as well as the women’s side as the cash-strapped club looks to rekindle former glories.
Speaking at a press conference to launch the club’s 65-year anniversary celebrations, Rollers Chairman, Fish Pabalinga admitted these were tough times.
“We invite individuals, corporate companies to come and support this ‘Adopt -A-Player’ initiative. It does needs all of us to support because it can help in making sure that the welfare of players are met since they are important to us. This can include partially covering salaries, medical care and paying rentals. Good welfare matters because we are talking about the livelihood of players. This is an opportunity to invest in players and for our beloved team to rise again,” he urged.
16-time champions of the land, Popa Popa are Botswana’s most successful team, with the next best, Gaborone United, lagging way behind on eight titles.
However, the blues have set in at Mapalastina in recent years, with their last league triumph coming back in 2019.
The barren spell on the pitch has coincided with off-field problems, characterised by supporters’ squabbles and economic struggles; indeed Rollers have arguably never recovered since long-time financer, Jagdish Shah quit the club in June 2023.
Popa’s finances took a drastic dive before the start of the season following the abrupt departure of Sebata Consolidated Holdings (Pty).
The South African-based company, owned by Zimbabwean businessman, Tendani Sebata pulled the plug on their Pulas just a year into a five-year deal.
Since then, the club have struggled to meet financial obligations, including failing to pay players.
‘Unstable working conditions’ led to Coach, Srdjan Zivojnov resigning midway through the season, the Serbian linking up with Sebata at Black Lions. The chaos came to a full on revolt in late September, when players boycotted the FNB Premiership game against Calendar Stars in protest over unpaid salaries.
Despite this, Pabalinga remains confident the good times will return.
“It is through these initiatives that we will get the club back to the glory days. No support is too small; together we will safeguard our legacy and preserve this club. Anyone who chooses a player to adopt brings a relief to the player and the team. It is not going to divide the team but to ensure the team is assisted accordingly and in the best shape and space,” he said.
Moving on to more positive updates, Pabalinga revealed a series of celebratory events are planned to mark 65 years of Rollers.
As part of the festivities, a commemorative anniversary logo was unveiled, which will be used on the club’s playing kits and merchandise.
A fund-raising fun run has also been organised for 25 April, while a special gala dinner is scheduled for August, which will cover the club’s achievements, heritage, legends and existing legacy.
“The aim is to celebrate with passion and pride; it’s important that we do recognise this milestone. These festivities are about celebrating our past and investing in the future of club since it honours the club, supporters and players. The new logo will be on our new Umbro replicas and our playing kids. We have gone an extra mile and come up with merchandise for fans to buy and raise money that will be able to help us run this club. We are in a bad financial position so we want to ensure we are all hands,” concluded Pabalinga.
Currently sitting a respectable 7 th in the league log, 17 points behind leaders Jwaneng Galaxy, Rollers return to action at 7pm tonight (Friday 20 February), taking on rock bottom Extension Gunners at the GU Stadium.
