Jwaneng Galaxy Football Club’s fairy-tale run in the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League goes into an even more exciting, yet challenging phase, as the reigning Botswana Premier League champions eagerly await Tuesday’s official group stages draw with bated breath.
Founded just six years ago as a result of the merger of two local clubs, Jwaneng Comets and Debswana Youngsters, Galaxy are already showing ambitious signs of growing into the next formidable side from the southern part of the continent.
The last time Botswana had representation in the group stages of the competition was in 2018, where Township Rollers was drawn in a tough Group A which involved current title holders, Al Ahly.
The Botswanan champions find themselves amongst 16 of Africa’s most elite clubs following their impressive performances in the preliminary stages of the competition. This included a gallant performance that saw them emphatically overturn two first leg defeats against their more fancied opponents.
Galaxy’s first display of resilience was displayed in reversing a 1-0 away loss to Central African Republic’s Diplomates Football Club du 8 with an impressive 2-0 home victory.
The result was then followed by Galaxy doing the unimaginable in overturning a 2-0 home loss with an unforgettable 3-1 thumping of East African giants, Simba SC in Dar es Salaam which subsequently knocked out last season’s quarter finalists.
While their domestic run has not gotten off to a great start, where they find themselves eighth on the table from the same number of fixtures, the debutants will be looking at representing the COSAFA region well in continental football.
They are into the group stages alongside fellow COSAFA-based clubs, AmaZulu FC as well as tournament regulars, Mamelodi Sundowns. Guided by an astute CAF A licence holding tactician in coach Morena Ramoreboli, Galaxy are under the tutelage of a coach that has a knack for causing upsets.
The South African born coach was the mastermind behind one of South Africa’s most historic upsets when he guided third-tier side, Maluti FET College to a 4-1 humiliation of 2013 Champions League finalists, Orlando Pirates in a cup competition.
Just recently, the 41-year-old took charge of South Africa as a caretaker coach where he guided Bafana Bafana to a COSAFA Cup gold medal before catching the eyes of Galaxy where he will be looking at causing more upsets.
With a squad comprising of mostly locally based players, with the exception of Namibia’s Wendell Rudath and the South African duo of Themba Dhladhla and Lucky Mokoena whom Ramoreboli worked with while at Maluti, Galaxy go into Tuesday’s draw dangerously holding the underdogs tag.
Source: CAF