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Notši braces for Bantu showdown

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Maseru – Kick4Life coach Leslie Notši is relishing Saturday’s showdown against league champions Bantu which kicks off this year’s Independence Cup. Kick4Life will be making their first appearance in the annual showpiece thanks to a blistering 2016/17 campaign in which they finished amongst the league’s top four for the first time in the club’s history.

And, speaking on Wednesday, Notši said his charges are raring to go and are ready for the battle against ‘A Matšo Matebele’. “All the teams in this tournament are worthy of the championship and I am aware we have a mountain to climb in order to reach the final, but I am hopeful the players can rise to the occasion and show character,” Notši said.

Kcik4Life can look towards their 1-0 league win over Bantu last year for motivation. Notši said he is hopeful his team can repeat those heroics and go all the way in this year’s Independence Cup which also features past winners Lioli and Lesotho Correctional Service (LCS).

“It is a different ball game and our approach is different, we are going for it,” Notši revealed. “We will not sit back and wait. We want to create goal-scoring opportunities, take them and just enjoy the game.” “Bantu are a very good team with depth in terms of talent and we are looking forward to the challenge,” he added. “We have already played against Lioli in the league, they are one of the toughest teams (in the league) and it has prepared us for this game.”

While for big clubs such as Bantu, Lioli and LCS it is demanded by their fans to always finish in the league’s top four, for Kick4Life playing in the Independence Cup is a milestone and an achievement. Kick4Life football director Chris Bullock said the club has made giant strides since their promotion to the top-flight in 2014. He said being amongst Lesotho’s top four teams is a reflection of the Old Europa side’s ambitions.
The next step is to capture the club’s first silverware.

“When we go into any tournament we always go with an intention to win it,” Bullock said. “All the top three teams (Bantu, Lioli and LCS) are very experienced. This is an achievement for us and we are very proud of the team. We have come a long way and this is a reflection of where we want to go.”

Independence Cup fixtures:
Saturday
Semi-finals:
Kick4Life vs. Bantu (13:00)
LCS vs. Lioli (15:00)

Sunday
Third place play-off (13:00)
Final (15:00)

Luciah Phahla

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Moment of truth for Matlama

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It’s crunch time in the Vodacom Premier League this weekend as the top teams collide and by Sunday evening there could be serious implications on the title race.
The game of the weekend is on Sunday when second placed Matlama will face third-placed Bantu at Bambatha Tšita Sports Arena. Earlier in the day, league leaders Lioli battle it out with Linare who are fourth.

Linare’s chances of winning the league are now over, but they would love nothing more than to dash their neighbours’ title hopes just as they dented Matlama’s plans with a goalless draw on Sunday in Maputsoe.

It is a draw that Matlama head coach Halemakale Mahlaha admitted has complicated their title hopes but he insisted the championship is still within their reach. ‘Tse Putsoa’, with 58 points from 26 games, are two points behind leaders Lioli with four games to go.

Mahlaha remains confident because Matlama are yet to play Lioli and the destiny of the title is still in his side’s hands.

Bantu, on the other hand, are four points behind Lioli and will need favours from others to defend their title.

It has certainly not been smooth sailing for James Madidilane since returning to the club two months ago, and the dressing room has allegedly been rocked by infighting with some players unhappy with reported favouritism by the South African tactician.

Despite all the drama, ‘A Matšo Matebele’ would love to defend their title and claim their third championship in the past four seasons.

Beating Matlama is the first step because Bantu would leapfrog them into second position on the log with a victory.

If Bantu win, they will also complete a double over Matlama after their 2-0 triumph in the first round and the Mafeteng giants would claim precious bragging rights over their Maseru rivals.

Speaking to thepost on Wednesday, Matlama coach Mahlaha said he is expecting a tough game between Lesotho’s dominant clubs for almost a decade.

Matlama (with two titles) and Bantu (four titles) are the only teams to have won the premiership since 2017 and Mahlaha said Sunday’s match will be another mammoth clash between the sides as both juggernauts again vie to be crowned kings of Lesotho.

“There is a possibility these two teams could win the league and they are right behind one another and that’s what makes it tough,” Mahlaha said.

“The weekend’s results have impacted us, it has increased pressure to win this game,” he added.

Mahlaha admitted playing after Lioli also adds pressure because if Lioli win on Saturday, it means Matlama have to win at all costs to keep the gap at two points.

“Of course it does (put pressure), but we will work hard and focus on Sunday,” Mahlaha said.

“It is great though because we still have to play Lioli, so we will see. We like having tough games because this is how we test our players.”

Weekend Fixtures:
Saturday
CCX vs. LMPS (LAC)
LDF vs. Naughty Boys (Ratjomose)
Liphakoe vs. Machokha (LCS Ground)
Lioli vs. Linare (TY)
Sunday
LCS vs. Lifofane (LCS Ground)
LU FC vs. Lijabatho (Ratjomose, 14:00)
Matlama vs. Bantu (Bambatha)

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Machokha coach fumes

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Machokha coach Tšepo Mokhele says match officials are destroying football in Lesotho.
A fuming Mokhele said poor officiating cost his side in Sunday’s 1-0 loss to title-chasing Matlama after a second half penalty secured the result at Bambatha Tšita Sports Arena.

The final score had weighty implications on the Vodacom Premier League as it allowed Matlama to remain three points behind Lioli with a game in hand, while on the other hand, the defeat means Machokha are still in danger of being relegated.

Mokhele said Matlama did not deserve to win and were gifted the three points by the referees. Machokha had two loud penalty appeals turned down in the first half before ‘Tse Putsoa’ won the game from the spot in the second stanza.

Mokhele said the defeat leaves his side in a precarious position as they battle to survive in the top-flight with five games to go.

Machokha are in 12th place with 22 points, five points above the relegation zone, and gaining a point against ‘Tse Putsoa’ would have given them a safer cushion in their battle to survive.

Mokhele said the Lesotho Football Association (LEFA) must do something about the officiating in the country because, if things continue as they are, it will destroy football.

“Officials are not only degrading our football, but they are also degrading our players,” Mokhele fumed. “People are paying to come here and watch a very beautiful game yet referees come and make us lose because we cannot fight them, which is very sad,” he added.

Mokhele insisted the result could have gone the other way if Machokha’s “clear” penalty appeals had been awarded.

“We could have won the game but the referees rejected our two clear penalties and I don’t know what Matlama’s penalty was given for, because that was not a penalty,” he said.

Mokhele said a similar thing happened when the sides’ met in the first round when Matlama scraped a 2-1 win.

“We scored first (in the first round match) before Matlama equalized. After Matlama scored the second goal, the game was over and that did not sit well with me,” he said.

Mokhele said what pains him most is that Machokha have a few matches to play in the Vodacom Premiership season and referees are gambling with their future as they did on Sunday.

Mokhele said the favouritism from referees does no favours for Lesotho’s big teams when they enter continental competitions.

“This is why you see people win the league in the country because they are used to being put on top of other people, but when they find fair refereeing (in CAF competitions) and they have to toughen up at the international level, we are always out. It is because of things like this,” he said.

“Let us compete,” Mokhele continued.

“Respect the crowd, the players, (LEFA) presidency and the people who are pouring money into football. Money is being spent each and every day only for our referees to do something like this. We did not deserve to lose that game,” Machokha coach insisted.

Matlama coach Halemakale Mahlaha declined to comment on the awarding of his side’s winning penalty but said his side’s struggles on the day showed that his players were not playing according to the game-plan.

“Our performance might be because of the internal things that happened a day before the game. Maybe the players were mentally distracted by the (9-1 win over) Naughty Boys (in the previous week),” Mahlaha said.

“Winning by that huge margin might have distracted the players but what was important was that we collected three points (against Machokha)”.

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Moment of truth for Matlama

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It’s crunch time in the Vodacom Premier League this weekend as the top teams collide and by Sunday evening there could be serious implications on the title race.

The game of the weekend is on Sunday when second placed Matlama will face third-placed Bantu at Bambatha Tšita Sports Arena. Earlier in the day, league leaders Lioli battle it out with Linare who are fourth.

 

Linare’s chances of winning the league are now over, but they would love nothing more than to dash their neighbours’ title hopes just as they dented Matlama’s plans with a goalless draw on Sunday in Maputsoe.

It is a draw that Matlama head coach Halemakale Mahlaha admitted has complicated their title hopes but he insisted the championship is still within their reach. ‘Tse Putsoa’, with 58 points from 26 games, are two points behind leaders Lioli with four games to go.

Mahlaha remains confident because Matlama are yet to play Lioli and the destiny of the title is still in his side’s hands.

Bantu, on the other hand, are four points behind Lioli and will need favours from others to defend their title.

It has certainly not been smooth sailing for James Madidilane since returning to the club two months ago, and the dressing room has allegedly been rocked by infighting with some players unhappy with reported favouritism by the South African tactician.

Despite all the drama, ‘A Matšo Matebele’ would love to defend their title and claim their third championship in the past four seasons.

Beating Matlama is the first step because Bantu would leapfrog them into second position on the log with a victory.

If Bantu win, they will also complete a double over Matlama after their 2-0 triumph in the first round and the Mafeteng giants would claim precious bragging rights over their Maseru rivals.

Speaking to thepost on Wednesday, Matlama coach Mahlaha said he is expecting a tough game between Lesotho’s dominant clubs for almost a decade.

Matlama (with two titles) and Bantu (four titles) are the only teams to have won the premiership since 2017 and Mahlaha said Sunday’s match will be another mammoth clash between the sides as both juggernauts again vie to be crowned kings of Lesotho.

“There is a possibility these two teams could win the league and they are right behind one another and that’s what makes it tough,” Mahlaha said.

“The weekend’s results have impacted us, it has increased pressure to win this game,” he added.

Mahlaha admitted playing after Lioli also adds pressure because if Lioli win on Saturday, it means Matlama have to win at all costs to keep the gap at two points.

“Of course it does (put pressure), but we will work hard and focus on Sunday,” Mahlaha said.

“It is great though because we still have to play Lioli, so we will see. We like having tough games because this is how we test our players.”

Weekend Fixtures:
Saturday
CCX vs. LMPS (LAC)
LDF vs. Naughty Boys (Ratjomose)
Liphakoe vs. Machokha (LCS Ground)
Lioli vs. Linare (TY)
Sunday
LCS vs. Lifofane (LCS Ground)
LU FC vs. Lijabatho (Ratjomose, 14:00)
Matlama vs. Bantu (Bambatha)

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