For the Zebras’ captain, Mompati Thuma and former captain Modiri Marumo, playing for the national soccer team is the greatest service a football player can perform for his country, and the young players who recently shunned national team call up could live to regret their decision, writes JOE-BROWN TLHASELO

The two players were speaking during their recent stay at Lekidi Football Centre while preparing for the games against Tunisia and Chad. At the time, the media was awash with stories of Edwin Olerile and Bonolo Fraser refusing to honour a national team call-up from the Zebras’ technical team.
Added to that, South African-based Mogogi Gabonamong was demanding appearance fees of P13 000 per game played for the national team in addition to other conditions such as guaranteed insurance, whose evidence he wanted to be given in the form of a copy. The mood in the country towards issues of the national team consequently plummeted to an all time low with very few people expecting the Zebras to do well.
The two leading Zebras figures say while they respect other players’ personal choices on whether to play for the national team or not, they feel such decisions should be made after carefully weighing the options that might have telling effects on the future of their sporting careers.
Concedes Marumo, “In Botswana, we don’t depend on soccer, so maybe the players have other more pressing issues that could be influencing their decisions. But even so, it would be good for everyone if they communicate their reasons to the relevant authorities so that they are understood. As it is now, even some of us in the team do not know their reasons except what we read in the newspapers.”
Thuma adds, “We agree that playing for the national team has no personal economic value that is immediate, but in the long run, like a business, the choice to play for the national team might handsomely reward a player.” Thuma says he is further saddened by the fact that the players in question are very young and talented with the potential to perform wonders for the country in the next decade. He said the players needed the national team to advance their aspirations of playing professional soccer. Concurs Marumo: “In today’s world of stiff competition the world over, one needs to play for the national team to be seen. Chances of playing professional football are slim if one is not playing for his national team. As we travel to countries that run soccer professionally, soccer agents and scouts can spot you and take you places.”
This view is also held by one soccer official who expressed delight to see Dirang Moloi back on the national side after voluntarily staying away from it for some time. In discussing his sadness at Fraser and Olerile’s refusal to play for the national team, the official revealed that part of Moloi’s failure to be registered by a team in China recently was because he was not playing for the national team, which most teams there use as a requisite for signing African players. Disclosed the official, “Moloi impressed the team and they wanted so badly to sign him. But it turned out he was not playing for the national team back at his country, which should be a lesson to these young players that they could actually be letting themselves down.”
Bonolo Fraser confirmed in a lengthy interview with BG Sport that he flatly refused to honour coach Stanley Tshosane’s call up. He further said even if he could be called today, he would not join the team. Asked to say why he was so adamant on his position, Fraser said he found no point in going to a team where he would not be given a chance to play. He gave as his examples, the games against New Zealand, Iran and China. “What’s worse is that during the time we were to play New Zealand, my team, ECCO City, were playing in Gaborone and when I sought permission to go and play for them, the national team coaches refused to let me go saying they needed me for the New Zealand game. In the end, I was kept 90 minutes on the bench,” cried Fraser.
He adds that in China, it was worse as he was sitting at the stands, and wondered why he was taken to China in the first place. “It was painful for me. The team manager (Patrick Zibochwa) advised me at the time not to be upset but I couldn’t help it. That is why I refused when I was called again,” he adds. Upon further engagement with the player, it emerges that even his parents advised him against shunning the national team call up but he did not listen. Asked if he had any aspirations of ever playing for the national team he said, “It is every player’s dream to play for the national team. I just want to prove myself, I want to be given a chance to play.”
However, Modiri advises, “No player loves to be a reserve but as a young player, one cannot immediately expect to play in the first team right away upon joining. “One has to work hard and compete. Obviously there will be players you find in the team, and either you learn from them or you fight to replace them.” The decision not to play for the Zebras, Fraser says, is purely his and not anybody else’s. He denied receiving any external influence from anyone as it was alleged before. 
For national team coach, Tshosane, the refusal of these players to join the national team is a drawback. However, he says, he still awaits their change of heart, just as long as they give good reasons why they refused his call up in the first place. “What is sad is that they never gave me reasons for not coming. I just heard that one of them told newspapers that he would not join the Zebras to be turned into a cone for others to train. That statement hurt me because I had spoken to these young boys when they were coming in that I want to gradually introduce them into the team without placing pressure on them,” Tshosane said.
He added that at his request, the Botswana Football Association (BFA) even had to sponsor extra places in the team to allow him to keep some of the young players he was earmarking for the future of the team. He said he had a plan to use those who proved themselves immediately while drawing strength from the tried and tested. Tshosane believes the players will one day realize that they were wrong in their decisions and will come back to play for their country. “They are young and they seem to lack proper advice. I just wish that they could communicate their problems properly rather than through the media, because I am the one who wanted them to play for the national team,” Tshosane said. Efforts to speak to Olerile on his refusal to join the national team hit a snag.