Botswana to tighten stadium security during World Cup qualifier tie

The Botswana Football Association (BFA) has announced on Friday that they will tighten security at the Francistown stadium when they host Eritrea in a FIFA World Cup qualifier match next Tuesday to avoid fans invading the pitch.

The association Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kitso Kemoeng told media here that they have been working with the authorities in the country's second city to make sure there is enough security at the stadium for the match.

The announcement comes after Botswana was fined 5,000 U.S dollars by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) after local fans invaded the pitch in celebrations after Botswana beat Burkina Faso 1-0 in an African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier match earlier in September.

Kemoeng warned that both CAF and FIFA are against pitch invasion and that the country may face an even heftier charge if the incident is repeated. He said the association has been engaging local authorities to educate supporters on what to do and not to do at the stadium. He said they have engaged the police and other law enforcement authorities to make sure the incident is not repeated.

The BFA has moved its official matches to Francistown, located 436km north of the capital Gaborone after a new 27,000 seater stadium was opened there recently. The stadium has the largest capacity in the Southern African country.

The Zebras will host Eritrea in the return leg of the preliminary stage of the African world cup qualifiers after the two sides log horns in Asmara this coming Saturday, with the winner progressing to the group stages. The match will only be the second to be played in Francistown after the Burkina Faso match. Botswana has never qualified for the world cup and only qualified for the AFCON once in 2012. Endit