1. Following the recent unfortunate developments whereby a certain group of referees decided to boycott Premier League games on allegations of none or outstanding payments from the previous season(s) , the National Executive Committee (NEC) of Botswana Football Association (BFA) would like to take this opportunity to tender its most sincere apology; first to Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC) as the League Sponsorfor dragging their good name in the mud through this regrettable occurrence(s).
2. The NEC further extends its apology to the affected clubs and their supporters, the football fraternity at large, all its key stakeholders and/or various partners in football development, the nation on immeasurable hardships and inconvenience caused by the cancellation of the games.
3. The BFA would like to implore all those involved in the running of football in this country to synergistically gear their efforts towards actions and activities that have the effect of taking football to the next level of development as opposed to the opposite. This is even more important for those among us who see the game of football as a potential or an option for earning a living and/or in the future.
4.It is important to note that more than 95% of people involved in the game either as players or in the administration (both general and technical) not only do that for free but, even more importantly often have to dig deep into their pockets to finance their volunteerism; thus those who are privileged to earn something for their noble contribution , minimal as it may be viewed, should always take cognizance of the broader picture as regards the realities of the situation in Botswana Football and Sports in general.
5. The BFA Leadership takes responsibility and would like to assure all its esteemed stakeholders that it will do all within its power to avoid future occurrences of this nature.
6. Given the sensitivity of this matter and the fact that NEC is still carrying out investigations in order to get to the bottom of the situation, the BFA will not offer interviews on the subject matter until further notice.
7. The BFA NEC therefore appeals for your understanding in this regard