Botswana: Owen da Gama lowers Black Lions FC’s expectations

South African coach Owen da Gama has lowered expectations of fans at Black Lions FC in Botswana.

The former Orlando Pirates trainer emerged as the surprise choice to lead the newly formed FNB Premiership team.

Da Gama crossed the borders weeks after he parted ways with South Africa’s top-flight team, Magesi FC.

He joined the club on 30 December 2024 and presided over 19 league matches, winning seven, drawing five and losing seven.

Under his watch, Magesi survived relegation after finishing in 13th place. Da Gama won the Betway Premiership Coach of the Month for March.

However, all that counted for nothing as he was jobless for weeks before Black Lions came with a tempting offer for Da Gama.

The former Platinum Stars FC handler remains winless in three FNB Premiership games. The newcomers have lost to Township Rollers 2-1, Jwaneng Galaxy 1-0 and 2-0 to Sua Flamingoes.

Such struggles have prompted the former Highlands Park FC mentor to set the record straight that it would take time for them to compete with the big boys of Botswana football.

“The boys will do well,” he told the media in Botswana. “This team is two months old. It didn’t have a pre-season. It is a process that we have to go through. We have to strengthen the team, but it won’t come easy because we have to get the right players. This team is two months old. We can’t compete; the target is that we must not be relegated. We must build this team. It is a building phase for us.”

Lions were registered officially in June 2025 under the Kweneng Regional Football Association to compete in Division Two. However, an opportunity to swap FBN Premiership status with VTM FC arose, effectively pushing the Lions into the top-flight league by default.

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