Despite reports that his was a short-term contract that has since ended, Jwaneng Galaxy coach Morena Ramoreboli will be in charge of the team for the local league and its first-ever group stages of the CAF Champions League, The Business Weekly Sports has established.
It has been widely reported that South Africa-born Ramoreboli was offered a three-month contract to guide the Jwaneng-based outfit through the preliminary rounds of the CAF Champions League.
However, perhaps in light of the club’s changed fortunes, its Public Relations Officer (PRO) Tankiso Morake has since rubbished these reports. “We do not know where those reports are coming from,” Morake said. “I can confirm that our coach is here to stay and will be in charge of the team during the CAF group stages and as the local league.”
Ramoreboli has been credited with aiding Jwaneng Galaxy to the historic feat of reaching the group stages of CAF Champions League. Despite having been inactive for almost 19 months due to suspension of local sports as a measure to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, Galaxy Star – as the winning team is otherwise known – qualified for the first round of the CAF Champions League after a 2-1 aggregate win over Central African Republic giants Diplomat FC.
After that, Galaxy had to play against Tanzanian powerhouse Simba SC, who went as far as the quarterfinals earlier this year. The Tanzania champions came to Gaborone and got a comfortable 2-0 away win in the first leg. However, Galaxy went on to defeat Simba 3-1 in a game played in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania in front of a boisterous Sunday crowd on 24 August.
The 3-1 victory ensured progress to the group stages of the CAF Champions League on aggregate (3-3) for the Jwaneng-based outfit. The victory also meant Galaxy became the second Botswana side to qualify for the group stages of the prestigious tournament after Township Rollers in 2018.
“We are happy with the team’s performance and I can assure you that they will be rewarded for their efforts,” Morake told this publication. “Our target was to qualify for the group stages and they did it. Now we have to remain focused that they perform there as well as in the local league.”
