Minister of Youth Empowerment Sport and Culture Development (MYSC) Tumiso Rakgare visited the national football team camp last week ahead of their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier.
The Zebras will play against Zimbabwe this Thursday in Francistown.
Botswana is on the 3rd spot of group H with 4 points while Zimbabwe is on the 2nd spot with 5 points and Algeria is leading the log with 10 points.
Winning this game will put Zebras on a better position to qualify for AFCON 2022.
Rakgare reminded the team that this is an important game for the nation and that if the Zebras beat the Warriors they will be left with one game against Algeria.
The Sports Minister said he has watched the team playing and that he had no doubt they are a good side.
“You guys are capable of qualifying. Talent alone will not make you achieve your dream but it comes with discipline and focus. Qualifying for AFCON will give you a platform for talent identification by teams in the big leagues. I wish to see a player from this country playing for English Premier League and Spanish La Liga. We are in discussions with the Permanent Secretary and BFA leadership to see how best we can motivate you,” said Rakgare.
For his part, Zebras Coach Adel Amrouche expressed concern that players are not getting game time even though they never complain.
He said despite the challenges, they remain positive and determined to qualify for CAF.
On behalf of the players, Kabelo Dambe appreciated the minister’s visit and said it shows they are not in this battle alone.
He said they will go all out to do their best and not disappoint the nation.
Dambe said the morale in the camp is high and that everyone is taking part and he is optimistic they will make it.
