• Players refusing to train
• We have only five regular starters ready for action – Mogomotsi
• Chiefs have informed the BFA of their difficulties in advance
BONGANI MALUNGA
Mochudi Centre Chiefs’ preparations for this weekend’s league championship playoff have hit a snag due to player shortages and training ground revolts. Magosi will attend their beMOBILE Premiership title deciding playoff against Township Rollers at the Francistown Sports Complex with a depleted playing and technical team staff.
The club has been hit with an exodus of first team players and the technical team; they have lost the services of Lemponye Tshireletso, Tendayi Nyumasi, Atang Mmualefe, Mike Sithole (coach) as well as Michael Mogaladi (assistant coach) in recent weeks, this has left the club with the challenge of not having their full strength squad available for selection for the playoff game.
Experienced stalwarts Pontsho Moloi and Onalethata Tshekiso retired at the end of the season to compound the club’s player availability misery. The club expects two more exits anytime this week, the two players have refused to train with the club while awaiting their moves away from Magosi.
According to the club’s communications head honcho, Clifford Mogomotsi, the two players have notified the club that they will not take part in this week’s playoff game. Mogomotsi has stated that it would be almost impossible to convince out of contract players to play one more game for Chiefs.
“Honestly speaking, we do not have a complete team of regular players, we have only five who would be ready for action. You cannot convince out of contract players to cut their holidays short to play one more game, especially when they no longer belong to us. Our preparations are not going well in that sense. We do not have a team. We have informed the Botswana Football Association of our struggles but they have advised us to honour the fixture in the best interests of the game,” Mogomotsi told Gazette Sport.
“If only the game had been played on its scheduled date of June 13, things would have been better, those are the problems we are facing but we cannot cry over spilled milk,” he added.
Mogomotsi also revealed that the interim coach for the playoff will be club official Zaahid Jalal due to the shortage of technical team options. “Mike Sithole is already focused on his next job at Jwaneng Galaxy, it would not be ideal to ask him to coach one more game. Zaahid will be the head coach for the day. We have new players but they are not eligible for the game because their registration only counts for the 2016/2017 season,” the Chiefs mouthpiece concluded.