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Botswana league champions gear up for CAF Champions League

Xinhua, January 23, 2015 Adjust font size:

Botswana defending soccer league champions Township Rollers have started intense preparations for the 2015 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League.

Rollers will take on South African powerhouse Kaizer Chiefs in a two legged preliminary tie in February. They will travel to South Africa for the first leg match on Feb. 14 and return to host the return leg two weeks later.

Club spokesperson Phempherethe Bafana Pheto told the local media this week that they are doing everything possible to be ready to beat Kaizer Chiefs.

He said they are not unfazed by the fact that the South African league is fully professional and they will cause an upset by kicking Chiefs out of the tournament. Rollers have already strengthened their squad by recruiting a number of experienced campaigners to their fold.

In the January transfer window, the club has already signed former Botswana international defender Tshepo Motlhabankwe and striker Jerome Ramatlhakwana. Ramatlhakwana was the Zebras leading goal scorer in the qualifiers for the 2012 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) where Botswana made their first appearance.

Rollers signed him from Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) club Don Bosco where he has been playing for the past two seasons.

He brings in a lot of experience having had stints in the South African League. Both players have also played in the CAF Champions League before. According to reports in the local media, the club is also pursuing former Zebras goalkeeper Noah Maposa who has been playing in the South African first division. Rollers will be under the guidance of experienced Zimbabwean coach Madinda Ndlovu who has won three consecutive league titles in Botswana.

Pheto said they are fully away of the task they face ahead as Chiefs has been in a very good form having not lost a single match in the current season. Rollers preparations will be buoyed by the resumption of Botswana Premier league (BPL) from the Christmas break.

Despite having won everything on offer locally, Rollers are yet to progress to the group stages of the continental competition, something Pheto said they aim to do this year. Endi