Maseru – Econet Premier League clubs Linare and Sky Battalion have each been docked points because they registered late for the 2017/18 season.
Linare have been stripped three points while Sky Battalion have had six points taken away for missing the league’s August 31 deadline.
The development is a major setback for the two sides.
For ‘Tse Tala’ it means a promising start has been curtailed while Sky Battalion now languish on minus six points, far adrift at the bottom of the log standings.
The judgement was passed down on Monday by the Premier League Management Committee (PLMC).
According to PLMC public relations officer, Mosito Lekholoa, Linare have been punished because they failed to submit a full list of players for the 2017/18 season on time.
“Linare registered in time but they didn’t register all their players (by August 31) and after the deadline they submitted another list. That is why they were docked three points,” he said.
‘Tse Tala’ had been lying in fourth place with 10 points and enjoying their best start to a season since 2013 when the Hlotse side ended up third. Monday’s ruling has plunged Linare to 10th place in the Econet premiership.
For Sky Battalion the punishment is even harsher and represents another setback in a dreadful start to the league.
Sky Battalion, of course, were remarkable fifth-place finishers last season in what was their debut top-flight campaign.
However, the club’s status is now owned by the National University of Lesotho after its team, Rovers, was relegated from the premiership last season.
The sale, however, was fraught with hiccups and while Sky Battalion searched for a buyer all off-season, their players scattered all over the league.
For example, three key stars – Bonang Mohapi, Tšepang Ntšenyane and Rorisang Moabi – joined Kick4Life while last season’s club top scorer Tsietsi Motšeare signed for Bantu.
Sky Battalion only secured a buyer late in August, three months after putting the club up for sale.
The sale to Rovers was so late the paperwork missed the league’s deadline for registration forcing the NUL club to keep the Sky Battalion name for this season.
Sky Battalion then failed to honour their league opener against Kick4Life on September 2 and Monday’s points deduction makes them clear favourites for relegation.
Sky Battalion had already lost all five of their matches this season before the punishment.
Now they are seven points adrift of second-from-bottom Sundawana.
Nevertheless, an unapologetic Lekholoa said Sky Battalion violated several league rules which is why they have been penalised so severely.
“We have a club licensing manual and it states that if a club fails to register in time it can be deducted points and be fined not less than M1000,” Lekholoa underlined.
“Sky Battalion failed to register in time therefore we took three points for that. The league then started and they still hadn’t registered so we took another three points. That is why we took six points from them unlike (three points for) Linare even though they both failed to register in time,” he said.
Lekholoa said the league has clear rules and if clubs do not abide by them they will have to suffer the consequences. With this punishment, the league intends to send a strong message to teams, he added.
Meanwhile, Lekholoa confirmed Sky Battalion’s game against Kick4Life will still be played on a date to be confirmed by the league.
In the nearest future, both Sky Battalion and Linare have to lick their wounds quickly.
Sky Battalion battle Likhopo in an early relegation six-pointer on Saturday while, on Sunday, ‘Tse Tala’ meet their Great-North rivals Lioli at the Maputsoe DiFA Stadium.
Luciah Phahla