Botswana, from "whipping boys" to "African team of year"

 　　GABORONE, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- Not many years ago, Botswana was an unknown entity¹ in the world of soccer.

　　Perhaps the only thing the landlocked Southern Africa nation was known for was its peace, and the pretty little stones - diamonds, not the popular game of soccer, let alone sport.

　　The national soccer team, the Zebras have never qualified² for any major event, either within Africa or internationally before 2008. The only competition they were often sure of qualification was the regional Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) challenge, which they never even reached the finals in its years of existence.

　　The only time they came close was when they reached the semi-finals as hosts in 2006, then under the tutelage of British born coach Colwyn Rowe.

　　It was not surprising that at the time the team was tagged as "the whipping boys of African soccer." Winning was something foreign and very rare for the team at the time. In fact a loss result was the most popular with the team. The only time the team managed a win was when playing against fellow regional minnows, Lesotho and Swaziland, and once in a while Namibia.

　　The team has been trying their luck to qualify for both the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and FIFA world cup since 1994. It took them exactly 11 years to win their first match in the world cup qualifiers preliminary stages, a 4-1 victory over Lesotho in 2005 for the event that was hosted by Germany.

　　They went on to play in the group stages but finished last. For the AFCON it was the same story as they have failed dismally³ to qualify, often registering heavy losses against north and west African opponents, despite sometimes holding them for draws at home.

　　Throughout this period, the team has changed managers to try and turn their fortunes around. Local as well as foreign coaches have been in charge of the team but none succeeded in bringing the long-awaited glory to the team. Among the notable foreign coaches who have been in charge of the national team are Germans Rudi Gutendorf and Karl-Heinz Marotzke as well as Serbian Veselin Jelusic (2002-2006) and Rowe (2006-2008). Among the coaches, Veselin and Rowe are credited for having played a major part in the team's revolution. [ The Serbian brought to the team a defensive⁴ approach that the team still prides itself over today. Though he did not achieve any notable success with the team, Veselin brought some level of respect as he managed to match some African powerhouses in terms of play.

　　One notable game was in the qualifiers for the 2004 AFCON when they played former champions Tunisia in Gaborone. The Zebras put up a sterling⁵ performance scoring first through Mogogi Gabonamong. Though they went on to lose the match 3-2, future opponents started taking the team seriously, not expecting a walk in the park.

　　Veselin quit at the end of the qualifiers for the 2006 AFCON and was redeployed by the Botswana Foobball Association (BFA) to coordinate⁶ youth development in the country. In came a relatively⁷ unknown Briton Colwyn Rowe, who prior to his appointment as Zebras head coach was involved with youth soccer in Jordan.

　　Rowe brought in some new faces into the team, something his predecessors⁸ were criticised for failing to do, eg: Veselin used an almost similar team throughout his four year tenure⁹ as head coach, and pundits¹⁰ pointed¹¹ out that he quit because his team has reached he ceiling and he was afraid of bringing change to the team.

　　A bulk of players brought to the team by Rowe were youngsters from the under-23 side that achieved a lot of success the previous year playing in the 2008 Olympic qualifiers and winning two tournaments, one in South Africa and the other in China. These players currently form the core of the team that made history qualifying for AFCON for the first time.

　　Under Rowe the team started playing some enterprising football, centered around passing the ball around. Botswana was drawn¹² in a tough group for the 2008 AFCON qualifiers that included defending champions Egypt. Rowe's young squad¹³ however put an outstanding performance in front of the home crowd in Gaborone holding the Egyptians to a goalless draw.

　　The team was on the verge¹⁴ of qualifying in their final group match in Cairo, but fate were against them as they narrowly lost 1-0 to miss out on qualifying for the continental¹⁵ showpiece for the first time. Under Rowe, Zebras achieved their highest FIFA ranking at the time, 95th. Despite having achieved some little success, Rowe was very unpopular with the local media, a thing many believe lead to his ultimate sacking in 2008.

　　Rowe was replaced by a local, Stanley Tshosane, a retired¹⁶ army colonel. Tshosane has had previous stints¹⁷ with the national team before, all of them unsuccessful. He once served as an assistant coach under both Veselin and Rowe.

　　Tshosane did not make any instant significant changes to the team he inherited from Rowe. His first match was a joint¹⁸ 2010 AFCON and world cup group qualifier against a star -studded Cote d'Ivorie at home.

　　Though being heavily criticised for his tactics by the locals, Tshosane pulled a shock result holding the Ivorians to a 1-1 draw. The team showed some sparks of brilliance¹⁹ though they went on to be thumped²⁰ 4-0 by the Ivorians on the return leg. With the focus on the 2010 world cup that was in full swing in South Africa, Tshosane and the Zebras began what will go down in history books as the first success achieved by Botswana, qualifying for AFCON.

　　The team quietly departed to Tunisia where they would face the horn of Africa nation in a first leg match of Group K in the qualifiers for the 2012 AFCON. The team did what was not very common, beating Tunisia 1-0 away. They went on to win the return leg in Gaborone before claiming back to back victories over Chad and two more wins against Malawi and Togo to become the first country to qualify for the event.

　　By December 2010, the team reached their highest ever FIFA ranking, 53rd. Everyone started taking note of the minnows from southern Africa. They started drawing interest from tougher opposition²¹, playing a friendly match against Sweden at the beginning of 2011, which they narrowly lost 1-0. This was in the middle of their fairytale journey to qualify for AFCON.

　　Recently they held African soccer powerhouse Nigeria to a 0-0 draw in their own backyard. The team was nominated for Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) awards, for team of the year, alongside Cote d'Ivorie.

　　In addition, coach Tshosane and striker Ramatlhakwana also received nominees²² for best coach and best player respectively. Though they did not win the individual awards, Botswana went on to be crowned African team of the year at the awards ceremony held in Accra, Ghana last week Thursday. The award came as a true Christmas present for many soccer lovers in the country. The nation rejoiced, marking the end of a very prosperous year for them in soccer.

　　"It was indeed a remarkable²³ year for us. Though we have not yet won any major trophy²⁴, we achieved a lot by qualifying for AFCON and winning a CAF award," BFA President David Fani said.

　　For his part, head coach Tshosane said he was very excited as the team managed to reach a historic feat²⁵ under his guidance. He however noted²⁶ that there is still a long way to go before actual success could be reached.

　　"We will continue working hard so that we can be counted among the best, I am very grateful for the team," he said.

1 entity   

n.实体，独立存在体，实际存在物

参考例句：

• The country is no longer one political entity.这个国家不再是一个统一的政治实体了。
• As a separate legal entity,the corporation must pay taxes.作为一个独立的法律实体，公司必须纳税。

2 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

3 dismally   

adv.阴暗地，沉闷地

参考例句：

• Fei Little Beard assented dismally. 费小胡子哭丧着脸回答。 来自子夜部分
• He began to howl dismally. 它就凄凉地吠叫起来。 来自辞典例句

4 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

5 sterling   

adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑)

参考例句：

• Could you tell me the current rate for sterling, please?能否请您告诉我现行英国货币的兑换率？
• Sterling has recently been strong,which will help to abate inflationary pressures.英国货币最近非常坚挺，这有助于减轻通胀压力。

6 coordinate   

adj.同等的，协调的；n.同等者；vt.协作，协调

参考例句：

• You must coordinate what you said with what you did.你必须使你的言行一致。
• Maybe we can coordinate the relation of them.或许我们可以调和他们之间的关系。

7 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

8 predecessors   

n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 )；前辈；（被取代的）原有事物；前身

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Will new plan be any more acceptable than its predecessors? 新计划比原先的计划更能令人满意吗？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

10 pundits   

n.某一学科的权威，专家( pundit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The pundits disagree on the best way of dealing with the problem. 如何妥善处理这一问题，专家众说纷纭。 来自辞典例句
• That did not stop Chinese pundits from making a fuss over it. 这并没有阻止中国的博学之士对此大惊小怪。 来自互联网

11 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

12 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

13 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。

14 verge   

n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。

15 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

16 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

17 stints   

n.定额工作( stint的名词复数 )；定量；限额；慷慨地做某事

参考例句：

• He stints himself in [of] sleep. 他节制睡眠。 来自辞典例句
• She never stints herself of money to buy books for her children. 她从不吝惜掏钱让子女们买书。 来自互联网

18 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

19 brilliance   

n.光辉，辉煌，壮丽，（卓越的）才华，才智

参考例句：

• I was totally amazed by the brilliance of her paintings.她的绘画才能令我惊歎不已。
• The gorgeous costume added to the brilliance of the dance.华丽的服装使舞蹈更加光彩夺目。

20 thumped   

v.重击， （指心脏）急速跳动( thump的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Dave thumped the table in frustration . 戴夫懊恼得捶打桌子。
• He thumped the table angrily. 他愤怒地用拳捶击桌子。

21 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

22 nominees   

n.被提名者，被任命者( nominee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She's one of the nominees. 她是被提名者之一。 来自超越目标英语 第2册
• A startling number of his nominees for senior positions have imploded. 他所提名的高级官员被否决的数目令人震惊。 来自互联网

23 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

24 trophy   

n.优胜旗，奖品，奖杯，战胜品，纪念品

参考例句：

• The cup is a cherished trophy of the company.那只奖杯是该公司很珍惜的奖品。
• He hung the lion's head as a trophy.他把那狮子头挂起来作为狩猎纪念品。

25 feat   

n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的

参考例句：

• Man's first landing on the moon was a feat of great daring.人类首次登月是一个勇敢的壮举。
• He received a medal for his heroic feat.他因其英雄业绩而获得一枚勋章。

26 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。