Baruti says Botswana will draw inspiration from Tebogo’s Olympics triumph to qualify for AFCON 2025
Tebogo made history at the Paris Games by winning the first Olympic gold medal for the African nation in any sport.
The 21-year-old held off USA’s Kenny Bednarek and 100m champion Noah Lyles to claim the 200m title with an African record of 19.46s.
The Zebras commence their race to qualify for the African football showpiece on September 7th and the midfielder says his teammates are lifted by the sprinter’s historic feat.
Reflecting on Tebogo’s achievement, the former Police XI star expressed the desire of Didier Gomes Da Rosa’s men to make the nation proud.
"We witnessed Letsile Tebogo's incredible performance at the Paris Olympics and the impact it had on him, Botswana, and all of Africa,” Baruti told Flashscore in an exclusive interview.
"His achievement has instilled in us the belief that nothing is impossible, and that’s the mindset we want to carry into the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers next week.
"No one expected Tebogo to succeed, but he stunned the world by defeating the best of the best, putting Botswana on the global map.
"We will give our all to ensure we qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. We've only been there once, and our goal is to make it back."
Since the Africa Cup of Nations began, Botswana has only participated in the tournament once, qualifying for the 2012 edition co-hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.
In that tournament, they finished at the bottom of their group, losing to Ghana, Mali, and Guinea, scoring only two goals while conceding nine.
Botswana not intimidated by Group C opponents
To qualify for Morocco 2025, the Zebras must negotiate their way past Egypt, Cape Verde and Mauritania.
The Pharaohs and the Blue Sharks are ranked 36th and 65th respectively by FIFA, while the Lions of Chinguetti are positioned 112th globally. Botswana, however, are the lowest-ranked team, sitting at 145th.
Although the group has been labelled the 'group of death,' Baruti remains unfazed by the reputation of his country's opponents, emphasizing that football isn't won on paper.
"Egypt are one of the powerhouses of African football, and Cape Verde is a strong team as well, but we are not intimidated by their reputations," he continued.
"Football is played on the field, and we will do everything possible to prepare for this challenge, knowing it won’t be easy. As they say, to be the best, you have to beat the best.
"It would be a big mistake for any of our opponents to underestimate us because we are a team that keeps getting better and stronger.
"Our desire to qualify for the competition remains as strong as ever, and we have the depth and quality in our squad to achieve this goal. All we ask for is to avoid injuries during the qualifying process."
Botswana will kick off their campaign on September 7th, 2024, with an away match against Mauritania at the Cheikha Ould Boidiya Stadium in Nouakchott.
Gomes Da Rosa is expected to build his team around those who featured at the 2024 COSAFA Cup where they failed to get past the group stage.
“I have a very mature and experienced squad of players with Botswana, who know how to handle situations and have high expectations of their coach. I think we're on the way to creating something meaningful,” he told FIFA.com in a recent interview.
The Southern African country has won only one of their eight matches in 2024, with two defeats and five ending in draws.
The Africa Cup of Nations, the premier sporting event on the continent, is scheduled to take place from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026. Cote d’Ivoire are the defending champions having silenced Nigeria in the final of the last edition.
