Galaxy coach refuses to quit

MASERU– Head coach of relegated Galaxy, Thabang Busa, says he will not quit and will spearhead the club’s attempts to return to the Econet Premier League.
Galaxy were relegated from the top-flight on the final day of the season last Saturday courtesy of a 2-1 defeat to Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS) and Swallows’ surprise 1-0 win over Lesotho Correctional Service (LCS).

It was a painful end to the season for the Econet Premier League debutants who were promoted at the start of the campaign.
Until a few weeks ago the Maputsoe side had looked as though they had done enough to secure another year in the elite league.
However, a run of three successive defeats and a miraculous three-game winning streak by Swallows flipped the script and saw the Mazenod side leapfrog Galaxy on the final day.
Swallows finished with 21 points while Galaxy remained stuck on 19 and were forced to join Majantja on the bus down to the First Division.
Busa said off-field problems affected Galaxy and played a major role in their relegation.

He said the club faced financial problems which surfaced as early as last November and continued for the majority of the season.
On several occasions players went on strike over unpaid salaries, he said.
This in turn affected preparations for games as the technical team was unable to hold any training sessions.
“Our problems started with money, we faced problems financially and our players went on strike because of some big, influential players in the team,” Busa said.
“Last year in December they refused to go for daily training sessions and we played two games, against Kick4Life and Lesotho Defence Force (LDF), without coaching because we could not coach people on strike. I honestly prefer young players because they have a listening ear, more than older ones.”

“We wanted to expel all of them but part of management ended up intervening and refusing to let them go,” Busa added.
“This relegation process has affected our players because we all want to play at a higher level. I am yet to call a meeting with the players. We will talk to them and stabilise them and get them in the right mental state for the future.”
Busa admitted he is “angry” at the way Galaxy were demoted back to the A-Division.
However, he insisted he would not quit the team.

“I am angry with our relegation and I have not yet started to plan (for the future) but I will continue to coach this team,” Busa said.
“I have come a very long way with them and I will make sure we bounce back.”

Nkheli Liphoto