Bantu begins training

MASERU-Champions Bantu are one of six Econet Premier League teams that have been given the green-light by the Lesotho Football Association (LEFA) to start training for the new season.
The clubs were given the go-ahead this week after they submitted declarations they will observe LEFA’s Covid-19 regulations.

The champions have already started training and they will be competing in this season’s CAF Champions League after LEFA successfully registered their participation with CAF on Monday.
There was doubt whether Matlama’s on-going protests over the legitimacy of Bantu’s 2019/20 title win would scrap the Mafeteng side’s continental venture, but LEFA said Matlama’s cases have no bearing on Bantu’s CAF participation.

The continental showpiece is set to begin next month with the preliminary round ties slated to take place between November 20 and 29.
The five other Econet Premiership teams that have been allowed to train are Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS), CCX, Kick4Life, Swallows and Manonyane.

In the A-Division, only Ace Maseru have permission to train and other clubs will be allowed to return to training if they submit their declaration forms.
In an extract of LEFA’s regulatory framework was circulated to the media, all training venues must be sanitised and all club employees must be temperature screened on a daily basis.

A daily register of every member of the club must also be ensured and any person showing signs of coronavirus, awaiting results or has had contact with a Covid-19 positive person must not be allowed into the training premises.

If a member of the club tests positive, they are required to isolate for 14 days and follow instructions from doctors or clinics, and their return will be managed using National COVID-19 Secretariat (NACOSEC) protocols.
LEFA has been hard at work preparing for the return of football and has been hosting training workshops for the game’s different stakeholders, as required by NACOSEC.

Tlalane Phahla