BITTER SWEET Mixed reactions over Zebras coach’s resignation
Football lovers in Botswana have expressed mixed reactions after the national football team coach Didier Gomes da Rosa announced his decision to quit as the Zebras coach minutes after the team’s victory over Cape Verde in the fourth match of the 2025 Group C AFCON qualifiers.
The coach let it slip in an post match interview this Tuesday evening after the Zebras beat their opponents 1-0 to move to position 2 of the group, thereby boosting their chances of qualifying for the finals in Morocco. The top two teams in every qualify automatically for the tournament.
The coach reportedly cited lack of transparency at the Botswana Football Association as his reasons for quitting, saying some decisions are taken without his input. One such, according to reports, is the BFA’s reported decision to withdraw the Zebras from taking part in the CHAN – a sister competition to AFCON that only uses players based in domestic leagues.
Many Batswana expressed shock at his decision, wondering why he would make such an announcement at the time the nation was supposed to celebrate the Zebras victory. Taking to social media, they lambasted the BFA for its part in the coach’s decision, calling on the local football administrators to improve the way they run the affairs of football in the country. It is the feeling of some supporters that the new coach was slowly developing the team into a force, and that he needed time to finally get the team clicking.
However, another set of supporters were happy to see him go, saying he was never really loyal to the local team. Many accused him of window shopping for the next job while still with the Zebras, citing reports of teams in Africa that have been in contact with him. Reports suggest that clubs in Angola, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Libya have been in touch him, with his announcement seen as something that was long coming, hence his decision shortly after the Zebras’ victory. Other football followers suggest that he was bound to resign after the man who hired him, MacLean Letshwiti, lost elections to the current BFA President Tariq Babitseng. They argue that his vision was more aligned to that of the previous administration than of the present, and have said it was proper that he leaves. As at this Tuesday night when this story was written shortly after the shock announcement, the BFA was not available to respond to the resignation reports. Neither had the coach confirmed his move officially. It is a developing story that we will follow.
