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Top FIFA instructor conducts seminar

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MASERU – As part of continued efforts to develop women’s football, the Lesotho Football Association (LEFA) is hosting a weeklong coaching course at Bambatha Tšita Sports Arena.
The seminar, which began on Monday, ends tomorrow and a total of 28 coaches are being put through their paces by Jacqueline Shipanga, a FIFA coaching instructor from Namibia.
The overarching theme of the get-together is to find ways to improve women’s football which, according to Shipanga, is on the up as demonstrated by Lesotho’s increasing involvement in COSAFA, CAF and FIFA competitions.

The case in point is Lesotho’s women national team, Mehalalitoe, which returned to international competition in 2016 after spending three years without kicking a ball.
Since then Lesotho has played 12 FIFA recognised games and this year took part in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers for the first time since 2011.
Mehalalitoe managed to beat Swaziland 3-1 in the first round of the qualifiers before falling to South Africa at the final hurdle.
All this progress can be traced to the inauguration of the Women’s Super League in 2015 – Lesotho’s first top-flight ladies league – and Shipanga said in order to build on the progress, it is crucial to regularly host such courses.

“Lesotho is on the right track because the country participates in FIFA World Cup qualifiers and CAF qualifiers as well as COSAFA (competitions) so it is important that we all congratulate LEFA (but) Lesotho football coaches are in dire need of refresher courses more often to help them with skills and also remind them of the laws of the game,” she said.
It is even more vital, Shipanga continued, to discover and develop players at a young age.

“I believe in a notion that says ‘hands on the current and eyes on the future’,” she said.
“It is important to recruit children from an early age so that they grow into the sport and they have to participate in youth competitions to get experience and exposure. If we are going to have COSAFA under 17 or 18 (tournaments), it is going to be hard to get players if children are not recruited at early stages.”

Those young players, of course, need quality coaching to reach their potential, which is where initiatives such as this week’s coaching seminar come in.
Shipanga said it should be possible to host more courses, thanks to the FIFA “Forward” Development Programme which was launched in 2016 by the football world governing body.
The programme, according to FIFA, is tailor-made to support football development in each of FIFA’s 211 member associations and six confederations.
As part of the programme, each national association has access to US$750 000 per year for football projects such as pitches, competitions and women’s football.
Every association also receives up to US$500 000 per year for running costs in areas including administration and governance.

“FIFA president (Gianni Infantino) has set up strategic and deliberate programmes that will help women’s football such as the FIFA “Forward” Programme,” Shipanga said.
“A lot of funding will be given to federations more specifically to develop and assist the member associations with establishment of the leagues and participate in various competitions.”
She added: “We are focusing on the intermediate because most of the coaches have attended level one (coaching courses). It is also important to keep the girls who have been playing for a long time in the game because they are the future coaches and administrators.”

Women’s football in Lesotho definitely needs all the help it can get.
Despite the admirable enthusiasm of those involved in the women’s game, it faces huge challenges when it comes to infrastructure and resources.
Clubs, for example, do not have sponsors and players need separate jobs because they are not paid which sometimes makes them unavailable for their teams.
A person well-versed with these issues is Women’s Super League president Maleshoane Mokhathi.

She says the country has to improve on a lack of planning and a failure to recruit players at an early age.
“We have to start by developing our kids at an early stage; in fact, we need to start at primary school level so that they grow up knowing football thoroughly. We start developing players when they get to high school and that has to change,” Mokhathi said.

“We fail to identify kids because we do not pay attention to them enough to see what they could do best,” she added.
“As coaches we have to improve ourselves so that rolling from step A to step B becomes easy for the sake of developing our game.”

Nkheli Liphoto

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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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