The Zebras of Botswana are conscious of the herculean task ahead of them as they warm up for the Orange sponsored 2012 AFCON due in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon from January 21 to February 12. At their training hide-out in the Kadji Sports Academy, KSA, in Bekoko, Douala, their head trainer, Stanley Tshosane in this exclusive interview, highlights amongst other issues raised, the fighting spirit of his team and their determination to put football from Botswana on the international spotlight, though they are void of big names.
Excerpts:
How has your stay at KSA been?
Everything is going on well. We are very lucky to have had our training camp out here. I was here in December 2011 to come around and assess the training facilities. Since we arrived here, the climate is same like that of Gabon, we are going to kick start our AFCON 2012 group matches. There are everything we wanted out here at KSA.
What is the motivation for coming to fine-tune your strategies in Cameroon?
Botswana as a country, is a very big supporter of the Cameroon national team. Cameroon is a good representative of the African continent at past world cups and AFCONS. So, we belief, if we train here and even if we cannot win the AFCON trophy, just the climatic conditions in Cameroon will prepare us adequately for our Gabonese sojourn.
The Zebras of Botswana, first to qualify from the green turf for AFCON 2012, does that give you a feeling of superiority already?
We have a very small team as it is. We don’t have big names but the fighting spirit. All my boys are home-based, except five of them who trade their skills in South Africa. However, I am happy with their performance and the response to the training exercises. We are aware of the big challenges and African teams ahead of us but we are working hard to do better.
As we count down to Orange AFCON 2012, are you confident of the team you are leading?
The team will do its best to get a positive result. We started the training camp in a low note, the dust has settled, the young guys are trying the various combinations, trying players here and there, it has not been working as expected but we have reverted to our normal team and play style. We are not sure of what our opponents will but we are up to the task.
How are you looking forward to your group opponents?
We’re in a very strong group. The good thing is that two teams will proceed to the next stage of the competition. We will ensure to be part of the two.
You have pulled a one-all-tie with Astres FC of Douala, is it an indication of how prepared or not the Zebras are?
Not really! The match was not very competitive. However, I was happy because the Astres players are physically strong and heavy, same like the Ghanaians. The match has indicated to me that we need another game before we jet out to Gabon.
Is your Orange AFCON qualification, for the first time, an indication of the growth of football in Botswana?
Certainly, it is. Botswana is a country of two million people. We do not play much of football. All the boys are workers in the country, so, they only come to train when invited. They are not professional footballers. We are working as a team and as a solid group. This is an indication that what we are doing can be given a push so that we can one day be a big name like Cameroon and other big names in the African continent.
What is the feedback at home in Botswana? Are they happy with what is happening in Bekoko, Cameroon?
A lot of information is been sent back home, thanks to the reporter we have with us. The people of Botswana were very happy to get the information that their national team will be finalising their AFCON training exercises in Cameroon. We’ve always been around Zambia, Kenya and South Africa. We in the technical department have showed to our people that we are serious and we mean business this year.
Are you players in good health?
So far, there is no problem(s). Everybody is participating. I pray God that they stay like this until we are done with the AFCON.
As you look forward to the Orange AFCON 2012 in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, what is the one thing you wish to do?
We want to satisfy ourselves, satisfy the people of Botswana and try by all means possible to do our best. We want to compete very well and remind Cameroonians that we took off from their country to go to Gabon for the AFCON. We may not win the competition, but we want to be positive.
From your fans across the world, what do you expect from them?
Let them continue sending their messages of encouragement to us and the team. We will do our best to send them the positive feedback from the green turf. We are sorry that Cameroon could not make it to AFCON 2012, but it is a moral booster for them to make it to 2013 in South Africa and 2014 in Brazil for the World Cup.
What is the background of Stanley Tshosane?
I played for a club in Botswana and the national team. I have coached at club levels and won a series of Coca-Cola cups in Botswana. I joined the national team in 2002, worked with the junior national team as care-taker coach for about three years and when I went back to the army, which is my base, a new guy came in. In 2008, I was back to the national team. I have achieved some few things with the national team, which include winning a four nation tournament.
Interviewed By Walter Wilson Nana in Bekoko, Douala

---