Botswana fined by CAF

by
Mubanga Aaron
October 1, 2015

By Aaron Mubanga Jnr

Botswana Football Association fined 5.000 USD by CAF due to the pitch invasion that happened after Burkina Faso game in Francistown on 5th September 2015.

Botswana Football Association (BFA) president, Tebogo Sebego hinted on a possible fine in an interview with Xinhua on Sunday 6th September 2015. He told Xinhua that his association was likely to be charged between $5,000 to $10,000 dollars
by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The incident took place on Saturday 5th September 2015 afternoon after the Botswana team popularly known as the Zebras defeated the visitors (Burkina Faso) in their second Group D qualifying game.

The Zebras had lost their first Group D match to Uganda in Kampala in June. And a win over much fancied Burkina Faso brought excess joy to the fans of this sparsely populated diamond-rich nation with an estimated population of 2.1 million.
“CAF is likely to charge us,” Sebego said, adding that it is unfortunate that fans were “too excited” because of the win and forgot
that invading the pitch will have serious consequences on Botswana’s football governing body.

According to CAF regulations, the local football association has to ensure that law and order are maintained in the stadia and
must comply with and implement existing safety rules (FIFA and CAF Regulations, national laws, international agreements) and take every safety precaution demanded by circumstances before, during and after the match if accidents occur.

The rule states that national associations are held responsible for the behavior of their supporters (especially with regard to throwing missiles and invading the pitch) and auxiliary staff.
“It is a lesson to us as the BFA. Our fans need to be educated on the rules and regulations in order to avoid an incident of this nature in future,” said Sebego, adding
that the Botswana FA will take it upon itself to educate its supporters on how to behave
during matches.

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