Ramoreboli (right) during his unveiling last week:
Photo Credit: Botswana Football Association FA Media.
Botswana coach Morena Ramoreboli has reacted positively to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) draw, saying the Zebras know their status as underdogs and will prove their worth.
The former Jwaneng Galaxy handler gave his impression of the Zebras’ prospects after they were drawn alongside Senegal, DR Congo and Benin in Group D.
The South African admitted that the group is tough, but stressed that all the 24 AFCON finalists should be good enough to handle whatever is thrown at them.
“It is a tough group and I think we should also be honest that even if we were in Group C or F, we would still be saying it is a tough group, so anybody in the top 24 in the continent is there because of quality and performance. We are counted among the top 24, and it means wherever we find ourselves, we must try and get a positive result,” he told South African Broadcasting Corporation Sport.
The former Bafana Bafana B team coach said there was no need for Botswana to go to AFCON with any weight of pressure as they are considered underdogs.
“We have a status that we are not ashamed to keep. We are underdogs. We will perform like underdogs and prove our worth in this group. I am confident that we will do well and deliver the mandate. All countries in the group have a chance to go through. We just need to be consistent in our performances, do our best and ensure we qualify,” Ramoreboli explained.
The 43-year-old earned the Zebras the AFCON qualification after replacing Didier Gomes da Rosa who quit with the last two games remaining in the qualifiers, citing poor working relationship with Botswana Football Association leadership.
Da Rosa quit after two back-to-back wins over Cape Verde in the Afcon qualifiers to pick a job at Al Ahli Tripoli in Libya. The South African earned Botswana the AFCON ticket after a hard-fought away one-all draw in Egypt last month, building on a similar result against Mauritania to take the Zebras’ tally to eight points, six behind the Pharaohs.
The Zebras are making their second appearance at the Afcon finals after having done so over a decade ago.
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