The Botswana Football League (BFL) and Footballers Union of Botswana (FUB) have signed a Memorandum of Agreement that will see the general welfare of local players improved.
One of the key components of the MOA is the establishment of a welfare fund that will help for the players. There has always been a concern that players struggle financially after retirement, consequently going back to the street and start looking for jobs.
Speaking at the signing ceremony BFL Chief Executive Officer, Solomon Ramochotlhwane said they have agreed on establishing the pension fund so that ultimately the players can understand the value of preparing for life after retirement just like in the Government and Parastatals where employees are paid pension fund to lean on after retirement.
He noted that FUB and other stakeholders have been going around the country trying to assist these players who some of them are handicapped, disabled, and just living below poverty despite having played for so many years for the local teams.
“The players who play at a professional level must be insured as indicated in our regulations. We have now come out with the first step of making sure that we establish a medical insurance for the players, so after the agreement we are going to start the implementation plan of establishing a medical insurance for all our 500 players,” he revealed.
Ramochotlhwane indicated that there are a lot of local football players who are not insured something which he says comes with lots of costs for the teams to cover the medical insurance of the players. He highlighted that they have received so many cases where some players end up being permanently handicapped because they did not receive the special attention. He stressed that there is therefore the need to enhance the issue of medical insurance among the teams.
FUB Secretary General, Kgosana Masaseng added that their agreement with BFL is basically to set the minimum requirements for players’ contracts and define better conditions. “This agreement is about the well-being of the players as the safe guards that goes with playing in the league. Through this agreement we hope to work together with the BFL for the benefit of the players in partnership for joint projects,” said Masaseng.
He added that they will also work together on other areas such as financial literacy, doping mattes and on issues of exploitation of players because they are committed to protect and safeguard them.
