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Likuena, Eswatini square off

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MASERU – Lesotho will kick-off this year’s COSAFA Cup tournament when they face Eswatini on July 6 at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
The match will be the first in Group A and will be followed at the same venue by a clash between fellow group contestants, South Africa and Botswana.

Likuena will then play Botswana on July 9 before finishing off their group stage campaign against hosts South Africa four days later.
Likuena go into the tournament seeking glory after reaching the semi-finals of the last three tournaments but it will be a challenging task with only the winners of the three groups guaranteed of a place in this year’s semi-finals.

Next month’s COSAFA Cup is the 20th edition of the regional showpiece and it will run from July 6 to 18 in a bio-bubble environment.
The tournament is being played a year late after it was cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the group stage draw was made last week.

Group B will be contested by Malawi, Comoros, Madagascar and defending champions Zambia while Group C will comprise Zimbabwe, Namibia, Mozambique and West African giants Senegal who will be making their COSAFA Cup debut as special guests.

The three group winners and the best second-placed team will progress to the semi-finals and the championship marks the tournament debut for Lesotho coach Thabo Senong since he took charge in September 2019.
Senong will be under pressure to deliver.
In April, Lesotho Football Association (LEFA) president Advocate Salemane Phafane fired a stern warning to Senong that Likuena needs to reach the semi-finals of the COSAFA Cup, at least, or the technical team will face “unpleasant consequences.”

Although there have been positives since his appointment, Likuena is yet to win a game under Senong.
Senong’s task at the tournament has not been made easier by Likuena’s tour to Mozambique two weeks ago where the team returned with more scandals than goals from their matches against Mozambique and Eswatini.

The outcome is that several key players including Thabo Matšoele, Tšoanelo Koetle, Hlompho Kalake, Litšepe Marabe and Monaheng Ramalefane were left out of Senong’s preliminary 30-man squad last week because of disciplinary reasons.
Marabe and Kalake, in particular, have been vital contributors for Likuena in the team’s recent impressive displays at the COSAFA Cup.
Senong will name a final 20-man squad before the team travels to the Eastern Cape next week and Likuena started their camp at Bambatha Tšita Sports Arena this week.

There are likely to be several debutants but all will be seen when the squad has been trimmed down.
Whoever Senong chooses, LEFA’s national executive committee (NEC) has said it expects to see “a new Likuena” in terms of performances. That puts pressure on Lesotho to get off to a good start against Eswatini next month.

Group A fixtures:
July 6
Eswatini vs Lesotho (14:00)
South Africa vs Botswana (17:00)
July 9
Lesotho vs Botswana (12:00)
South Africa vs Eswatini (15:00)
July 13
Botswana vs Eswatini (13:00)
South Africa vs Lesotho (15:00)

Lesotho’s opponents:

Eswatini
Eswatini performed poorly at the 2019 COSAFA Cup. Eswatini failed to make it out of a group which also included Angola, Mauritius and Comoros as they finished with two points.
However, Likuena played Eswatini two weeks ago in a friendly match in Mozambique and lost 1-0. That game came after the Likuena camp was hit with scandals ranging from theft to bad behaviour.
Senong said although Lesotho lost the game, it was a better performance compared to the game against Mozambique a few days earlier which Likuena lost 5-0.
Although Eswatini has not released their squad, it is likely to be more or less the same team that played against Lesotho.
Likuena were without with the South African based pair of Motebang Sera and Tumelo Khutlang as they were still involved in league matches for their respective clubs. But they should be available for the tournament and to hopefully help the national team win the group.

Botswana
Sporting activities in Botswana have been on hold for over a year due to the pandemic but this will not be an easy game for Likuena.
Botswana were finalists at the last COSAFA Cup in 2019 before losing to eventual winners Zambia. On their way, Botswana beat South Africa on penalties in the quarterfinals and beat Lesotho 2-1 in the semi-final.
While the team the Zebras are likely to call up to this year’s tournament may be different to the one made it to the final in 2019, they cannot be underestimated.


South Africa
South Africa officially announced their COSAFA Cup on Tuesday. As expected it is a second string team and will be headed by Bafana assistant coach Helman Mkhalele. With South Africa preparing for the 2020 Olympics later next month, the team they called up is a young one. It is a talented team with players that can hurt Likuena. Players such as Tshegofatso Mabasa and Goodman Mosele were standouts in the last Premier Soccer League (PSL) season and the hosts are favourites to win the group and possibly the tournament.
The South Africa squad also includes goalkeeper Bruce Bvuma who put in a heroic performance for Kaizer Chiefs in the CAF Champions League last weekend against Morocco’s Wydad Athletic and he will likely be one of the key players for the hosts.
The match against Bafana looks like a mountain to climb for Likuena, but it is a tie Senong will be looking forward to as he faces his home country.

Goalkeepers:
Bruce Bvuma (Kaizer Chiefs FC)
Sifiso Mlungwana (Golden Arrows FC)
Defenders:
Rushine De Reuck (Mamelodi Sundowns FC)
Denwin Farmer (Baroka FC)
Siyabonga Ngezana (Kaizer Chiefs FC)
Njabulo Ngcobo (Moroka Swallows FC)
Keenan Phillips (Supersport United FC)
Mashweu Mphahlele (Baroka FC)
Sifiso Ngobeni (Bloemfontein Celtic FC)
Bongani Sam (Orlando Pirates FC)
Midfielders:
Sphelele Mkhulise (Mamelodi Sundowns FC)
Ethan Brooks (TS Galaxy FC)
Siyethemba Sithebe (AmaZulu FC)
Kgaogelo Sekgota (Moroka Swallows FC)
Tiklas Thutlwa (Black Leopards FC)
Happy Mashiane (Kaizer Chiefs FC)
Vincent Pule (Orlando Pirates FC)
Goodman Mosele (Baroka FC)
Strikers:
Tshegofatso Mabasa (Orlando Pirates FC)
Bongokuhle Hlongwane (Maritzburg United FC)

Tlalane Phahla

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LMPS storm into People’s Cup

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Vodacom Premier League outfit Lesotho Mounted Police Services (LMPS) are lauding their supporters for voting the club into the coveted People’s Cup where the winner will walk away R650,000 richer.

Four top-flight teams – Bantu, Linare, Matlama and LMPS – will compete at the Bochebeletsane Stadium in Mantšonyane on Saturday to capture the second edition of Lesotho’s richest cup competition.

The competitors were voted into the People’s Cup via a month-long SMS voting competition that closed last Friday and LMPS finished fourth with 231 001 to give them a surprise shot at the jackpot alongside traditional powerhouses Linare, Matlama and Bantu.

Their fans’ efforts mean LMPS will be making their debut in the tournament sponsored by Econet Telecom Lesotho and the Sam Matekane Foundation (SMF) in partnership with Molefi Global Agencies (MGA).

It is a life-changing opportunity for ‘Simunye’ and LMPS’s supporters’ chairperson, Tlali Monyaka, applauded the team’s fans and revealed the club have organised transport to carry the fans on the roughly 121 kilometres trip to Mantšonyane.

Each fan will pay M50 to LMPS’s communication and marketing manager (CMM), Mosiuoa Lekhooana, and club official Itumeleng Phasumane via eco-cash and their payment will book a spot on the ‘Simunye’ supporters’ bus leaving on Saturday morning at 6am.

Monyaka said the fans’ efforts should not end with just voting the team into the People’s Cup.
He encouraged LMPS supporters to “finish what they started” by accompanying the team to Bochebeletsane and “boosting the strength of the players and their spirit to win the cup.”

“Early bird catches the worm,” Monyaka added.

“It is wise for the supporters to start paying for that transport now. There will be no cash that the CMM and Phasumane will receive on (Saturday) at the door (of the bus), so for them not to stay behind, they should pay now so that we can all go and give support to our team that we trust in.”

“We are not strict with the attire,” Monyaka continued.

“Everyone can wear anything that has the LMPS colours: yellow, white or blue, or (they can wear) old shirts that have the LMPS logo, we will not mind.”

Last year the competitors in the inaugural People’s Cup were Linare, Lioli, Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) and eventual champions, Bantu.
LMPS legend Mofammere Molefe said the fact that LMPS are making their debut and have a chance at the coveted cash bonanza is evidence that the team is growing.

“This is a first for the team,” Molefe said. “We are very thankful that the team is growing. The club should know that we are behind them and supporting them in whatever they do.”

For his part, LMPS vice-president Ezekiel Senti said the LMPS family is excited and ready to fight on Saturday.

‘Simunye’ play in the day’s second semi-final against defending champions Bantu at 11am with the winner advancing to face Linare or Matlama in the final later in the day.
Even if LMPS don’t win the grand prize, at worst they will pocket M200,000 for one day’s work in Matšonyane.

2024 People’s Cup Prize money:
Winners: R650,000
Runners up: R300,000
Third place: R200,000
Fourth place: R200,000

Premier League Prizes:
1. M 650,000
2. M 330,000
3. M 210,000
4. M 155,000
5. M 145,000
6. M 115,000
7. M 100,000
8. M 95,000
9. M 90,000
10. M 85,000
11. M 80,000
12. M 75,000
13. M 70,000
14. M 65,000
15. M 60,000
16. M 55,000

For context, a team would have to finish third over the course of the Premier League season to pocket a similar amount. LMPS are fifth in the league and are on course to receive M145,000 at the end of the campaign for their efforts.

“The prize money in the (People’s Cup) competition is very motivating,” Senti said.
“We highly appreciate the supporters for finding it really important for us to compete for these prizes within the premier league season. We are not going to disappoint our supporters.”

People’s Cup fixtures:
Saturday, 16 March
Linare v Matlama at 9:00am
LMPS v Bantu at 11:00am
Final at 3:00pm

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Notši oils ‘war machine’

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Lesotho interim coach Leslie Notši has announced a 23-man squad to face Ethiopia in a pair of international friendly games next week.
The matches will be played next week Thursday and Sunday in Ethiopia and they will serve as Lesotho’s preparation for June’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Zimbabwe and Rwanda.

Likuena started their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign last year with a 1-1 draw against Nigeria and a goalless stalemate against Benin in Group C.
Lesotho are fourth in the six-team group where only the top team will qualify for the 2026 World Cup to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

In total, there are nine qualifying groups and the winner of each will qualify for the World Cup while the four best group runners-up will go to a play-off round to determine which team will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.

Likuena started preparing for June’s crucial qualifiers on February 5 with weekly sessions involving locally based players until Notši announced a 23-man squad this week.
The selection will assemble on Sunday at Bambatha Tšita Sports Arena and leave for Ethiopia next week Tuesday.

The squad includes nine players based in South Africa, two in Botswana and twelve locally based players.
Notši said the players have been selected on the merit of their performances at club level.

The Likuena squad has one new face in Majara Relebetsoe who plays for Tubatse FC in South Africa’s ABC Motsepe league.
Three players – Motlomelo Mkwanazi, Neo Mokhachane and Katleho Makateng – will join up with the team in South Africa next Tuesday before the squad jets off to Ethiopia.
Notši said training has gone well and Likuena had been assembling twice a week, on Monday and Tuesday, until he made this week’s selection.

“I am very grateful to the (Vodacom Premier League) teams for allowing the players to be in the preparations,” he said.

Notši said playing Ethiopia away from home would benefit Likuena.
Ethiopia are ranked 42nd in Africa and 145th in the world while Likuena are 44th continentally and 148th globally. The two teams have recent history and last met in 2022.

“It is true that our local players may have a desire to play their friendly games in their country but the conditions of our grounds do not allow us,” Notši said.

“I can say for now, that playing away from home has helped my players with their mental strength and they are gaining international exposure, so we are growing,” he said.

Notši said next week’s double ties against Ethiopia will also give Likuena an opportunity to gauge their standards for the COSAFA Cup which should be held in July.

Likuena squad for Ethiopia:
Goalkeepers:
Sekhoane Moerane – Orbit FC (SA)
Teboho Ratibisi – LDF FC
Mosoeu Seahlolo – LCS FC

Defenders:
Motlomelo Mkwanazi – BDF Fc (Botswana)
Rethabile Rasethuntša – Linare FC
Fusi Matlabe – Mpheni Defenders (SA)
Thato Sefoli – Upington City (SA)
Majara Relebetsoe – Tubatse FC (SA)
Thabo Matšoele – Bantu FC
Ntsane Mojalefa – Celtics (SA)

Midfielders:
Lisema Lebokollane – Linare FC
Lehlohonolo Matsau – LDF FC
Thabo Lesaoana – Bantu FC
Tlotliso Phatsisi – Black Leopards (SA)
Tšoarelo Bereng – Orbit FC (SA)
Tšepo Toloane – LDF FC
Lehlohonolo Fothoane – Bantu FC
Neo Mokhachane – VTM (Botswana)
Tumelo Khutlang – Lioli FC
Tsepang Sefali – Linare FC

Strikers:
Jane Thabantšo – Matlama FC
Sera Motebang – Royal AM (SA)
Katleho Makateng – Richards Bay (SA)

Relebohile Tšepe

 

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Naughty Boys player stabbed to death

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Vodacom Premier League outfit Naughty Boys are dealing with the agonizing pain of the death on Sunday of key player Tšepo Mosaeeea.
Mosaeeea was stabbed to death in Ha-Ramohapi where he stayed in a rented house after he reportedly tried to break up an altercation between groups of men who were fighting over women.

His death came just hours after bottom side Naughty Boys beat Machokha 3-0 in the Vodacom Premiership in a potentially season-saving victory.
The win was a crucial boost to their survival hopes but just hours later tragedy engulfed the club.

Mosaeea was recognised as one of Naughty Boys’ most talented players by his teammates and coaches.
The club said his death has caused a deep wound in their hearts that will never heal.

“The space Tšepo left is something we are not sure will ever be filled because he grew up in this team from when he started playing football,” said Naughty Boys’ communications and marketing manager Moeketsi Sefatja.

“He took Naughty boys from the B-Division to the A-Division, and then from the A-Division to the premier league. The goal that helped the team to make it to the premier league was scored by him in 2022 when we beat Limkokwing University 1-0. He was very good at scoring and most of our goals were scored by him,” he said.

Mosaeea’s death is even more painful because of the numerous tragedies that Naughty Boys have dealt with over the past year.
Earlier this year another player, Fusi Mochai, also lost his life at a young age while club president Khotsofalang Possa died last year.
Sefatja said Mosaeea played “very well” in Sunday’s win over Machokha and had been one of the club’s best performers this season.

“Mosaeea started the game on a very high note and did very well. Everyone could see that he is back with the good things he is known for and people could not stop embracing him,” Sefatja said.

“I knew about his death at around 5am,” he added.

“I received a phone call from one of the people living in Ha-Ramohapi asking if I had heard of what had happened. I immediately left home to go to his place but met his family on their way to the hospital and went back with them (to the hospital). We got to the hospital and his death was confirmed,” he said.

Sefatja said Mosaeea’s death is a very big loss to the team, his friends, family and everyone who knew him.

“It hurts even more because he was not even fighting with anyone but was only trying to stop people who were having an argument and instead they chose to kill him,” Sefatja said.

“The situation has really become a problem because both our player’s deaths happened in their village (Ha-Ramohapi) and all these acts are done by people from the same village. These people have turned Ha-Ramohapi into an unfriendly environment for the villagers,” he said.

Moipone Makholinyane

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