Botswana coach Teenage Mpote’s stance on outcast Kabelo Dambe

Botswana national team coach, Mogomotsi ‘Teenage’ Mpote, has opened up on his stance on former Platinum Stars and Free State Stars goalkeeper Kabelo Dambe.

Dambe vowed that he would never again don national team colours until all the issues on players’ welfare were addressed.

The veteran goalkeeper even walked out of the national team camp protesting welfare issues. 

At the time, he expressed his unhappiness over how the Botswana Football Association (BFA) neglected the welfare of national team players.

With Mpote, the new man in charge of the Zebras tasked to revive their fortunes; he may need Dambe’s experience in his set-up.

“You’ll realise some boys are at their peak. Even Dambe, at some point, was young and took the jersey from the senior boys. 

“So now we’re experiencing the same that we have two, three, four guys who are on top of their game but younger than Dambe. The performance informs us.

“The players we are picking are the goalkeeper that has been conceding less, plus the second-best and third-best,” Mpote said on Monday.

The team is in Johannesburg for an international friendly match against South Africa’s Bafana Bafana on Tuesday evening. 

“He’s our man, and hopefully, he will be with us in the coming camp. We are working with all the guys because this is a national team, any player who is doing well, you have to call him to the national team,” he said.

The 31-year-old goalie, who has more than 45 caps for Botswana, has been vocal about BFA’s mismanagement.

The Township Rollers shot-stopper is on record saying: “Our problems at the national team do not have anything to do with what is happening on the field of play. Most of the challenges players face are welfare related… some people do not consider players’ welfare at BFA,” he said.