- Agile goal-minder Phoko and prolific striker Kebatho to underpin CAF campaign
GAZETTE REPORTER
Jwaneng Galaxy’s strategic signings demonstrate the team’s ambitions at the upcoming CAF Champions League, the team pro, Tankiso Morake, has said.
In an interview with Gazette Sports, Morake pointed to seasoned goalkeeper Goitseone Phoko from Gaborone United and goal-scoring sensation Omaatla Kebatho from Orapa United as pivotal moves for the team.
Phoko essential for CAF campaign
With over 10 years of experience at GU during which he secured numerous accolades and registered countless clean sheets, Phoko became an attractive target for recruitment to add to the squad.
“We needed a reliable and experienced goalkeeper like Phoko, especially that our other current goalkeeper, Anthony Gouws, is getting on in age,” Morake said.
But Gouws, he pointed out, is an essential figure in the club and will continue to be a part of the team.
Prolific striker
“Looking at his quality, Phoko is also going to be essential in the CAF Champions League,” said Morake. Regarding Kebatho, Morake emphasised the importance of a prolific striker to enhance Galaxy’s chances of securing victories.
Kebatho’s impressive record as joint-top goal scorer in the last season with 24 goals to his name made him an ideal fit for Galaxy.
The team’s commitment to retaining talented players is also evident in its contract extensions for key players like Wendell Rudath, Thabo Leinanyane, Gilbert Baruti and Gift Moyo. “It is important for us to keep the squad that we have been using,” Morake noted.
Team culture
“This is because to build a competitive team, you need players who know the playing system and culture of the team. “It was therefore very vital that we keep these players because they are experienced and have played in the local league for quite a while.”
The team’s triumph in the 2022/23 Botswana Premier League secured their qualification for the prestigious CAF Champions League.
Having reached the group stages of the tournament in their debut appearance last year, Galaxy aims to go further this time around.
Round robin
Meanwhile, the CAF Champions League, now known as TotalEnergies CAF Champions League in accordance with sponsorship rules, is an annual football club competition organised by the Confederation of African Football that is contested by top-division African clubs.
Also formerly called the African Cup of Champions Clubs, the tournament is decided through a round robin group stage system to qualify for a double-legged knockout stage, and then a home and away final.
Galaxy are expected to begin their campaign in what the most prestigious club competition in African football sometime in August.