Mbatha promises to revamp local football
Assigned to revive local football’s fading fortunes, newly appointed Botswana Football League (BFL) CEO, Senzo Mbatha is confident he is the right man for the job.
The vastly experienced football administrator has promised to revamp the struggling sport and make it more appealing to sponsors.
Addressing the media this Tuesday, the 43-year-old South African revealed his main concern was poor attendances at Premier League games.
Vowing to get the crowds back to the grounds, Mbatha emphasised the need to look at clubs’ competitiveness.
“We need to invest our efforts, energy and strategies to ensure that we have a competitive league. We also need well managed clubs with offices run by professionals as per the club licensing requirements. Our clubs should be at the level whereby they can sustain themselves and be able to attract sponsorship,” said the new CEO, whose appointment was officially confirmed on 23 February on a one-year contract.
“BFL must have a robust presence in all digital platforms to sell our product. We need to be more innovative, put our brand out there to ensure that people know who we are. There are already low hanging fruits that we have identified in terms of how we are going to move forward,” he teased.
Having most recently worked in Tanzania, where he served as CEO of first Simba SC and then Yanga – two giants of the Tanzanian game -Mbatha was previously employed as Administrative Manager of the mighty, Orlando Pirates. Amongst others, his impressive CV shows he was General Manager at Platinum Stars, Bay United FC and University of Pretoria FC and was the Deputy Tournament Director when South Africa hosted the 2010 World Cup.
Licking his lips in anticipation at what Mbatha might achieve in Botswana, BFL Board Chair Nicholas Zakhem admitted Mbatha’s appointment comes at a time when the league needs growth in all aspects.
“He has a solid background in football and will drive the BFL ship to calm waters, I am very confident about that,” declared Zakhem…time will soon tell if he’s right or not!