Ramoreboli Reacts To Botswana’s COSAFA Cup Group Stage Exit
South African-born coach Morena Ramoreboli, who’s in charge of the Botswana national team, has reflected on his team’s premature exit at the COSAFA Cup following a dramatic 3-3 draw against Zambia on Wednesday.
The 44-year-old mentor was appointed as the Zebras’ new leader in the dugout permanently in January this year, as he was promised he would assume the role provided he guides the Southern African nation to the 2025 AFCON – a feat he achieved.
The former Jwaneng Galaxy tactician was tasked with winning the 2025 COSAFA Cup and qualifying for CHAN 2026. In addition, he has a mandate to reach the knockout stages in AFCON, collect a minimum of 12 points in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, and improve the country’s FIFA rankings.
Now, having failed to achieve the first objective, the Rosendal native cut a disappointed figure with their group stage elimination but lauded his charges for the hard work and commitment they showed throughout the tournament.
“It’s just unfortunate that after so much hard work, we unfortunately failed to qualify [for the semi-finals]. I feel for them [players], I think they came here with so much belief that they will qualify,” said Ramoreboli.
“I think their work rate, their commitment, was really showing that they want to qualify. But one thing one needs to mention is that they came here as nobodies, but they are leaving this tournament as brands, as players we can easily rely on. I’m very proud of them.”
Ramoreboli, who led South Africa to a COSAFA Cup triumph without conceding a single goal in 2021, believes the Zebras’ early exit was self-inflicted due to defensive errors in their penultimate match against Chipolopolo. Botswana also settled for a goalless draw against Comoros in their opening game.
“It’s just unfortunate in a game of football, especially when you don’t want to make mistakes, that’s when you make mistakes. I think when you look at the goals they scored, especially the second goal from a corner kick, I think it was a lapse of concentration because we could have done better,” he bemoaned.
“Unfortunately, they got two penalties, it’s part of the game, and both penalties we can’t really blame the players. We have to take the results; it’s disappointing results, but there’s always another opportunity.”
Up next for Ramoreboli and his troops is the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against Algeria and Mozambique, with both fixtures on the road in September. Botswana is in third place with nine points accumulated after six matches played in Group G.
The encounters will prove pivotal as Ramoreboli’s side trails the group leaders Algeria by seven points and three points shy of second-placed Mozambique. It remains to be seen whether the coach can mastermind favorable results.
