(MENAFN- The Post) MASERU -The Premier League Management Committee (PLMC) and Lesotho Football Association (LEFA) are on a collision course over the restart of the 2019/20 top-flight season.
Last week the PLMC declared the season over after meeting all 14 Econet Premier League clubs.
The PLMC chairman, Ikarabele Sello, is set to present their recommendations to end the campaign to LEFA's National Executive Committee (NEC) this afternoon.
However, LEFA's secretary general, Mokhosi Mohapi, poured cold water on the PLMC's plans saying the PLMC is 'below the NEC'.
He insisted that only LEFA's national executive committee can terminate the season and make announcements of such magnitude.
'In the past days there were reports on television and social media where it was reported that the season had ended. Today I am telling you that when the season is ending or beginning, such a decision will be made by the NEC, not a committee that is below LEFA's NEC,' Mohapi said.
Mohapi said LEFA remains committed to concluding the season on the pitch and is hoping the National Emergency Command Centre (NECC) will give the green light for contact sports to resume.
Last week LEFA delivered a proposal to the NECC urging a return of football activities.
'There is no announcement from the (LEFA) NEC that says LEFA has ended the season,' Mohapi said.
'The last announcement was made on May 29, (and) it was saying the season will end on July 31 and it was made clear that, if sports continue, (the season) will be extended (unless) the decision is made to end the season (by LEFA's NEC).'
Last week the PLMC met with all 14 Premier League clubs and the teams unanimously agreed to end the season.
The league campaign would finish with the current log standings that have stood since the Econet Premier League season was suspended in March, which would mean Bantu are crowned champions while Swallows and Lijabatho would be in the relegation zone.
Some clubs have already sent players away for the offseason break.
However, Mokhosi said the 14 top-flight clubs cannot make decisions for the other 900 clubs registered with LEFA.
'(The) PLMC and their 14 clubs met to study the current situation and they made a recommendation that, as the clubs, they wish to end the current season which the chairman of the PLMC has to come and present before the NEC,' Mohapi said.
Mohapi added that the Premier League has financial sponsors such as Econet Telecom Lesotho, Standard Lesotho Bank, Matekane Group Companies (MGC), Lesotho National Insurance Group (LNIG) and others which need to be convinced to give up the mileage they were going to get in the seven or eight Premier League games that remained in the season.
He said the league's stakeholders have to agree that their contracts do not get affected.
'To say the season has ended you have to speak to several people because here in Lesotho we have 900 registered clubs,' Mohapi insisted.
'We have the Under-12 teams that were yet to be entered into the FIFA Connect. 14 (Premier League) teams cannot make a decision for over 900 clubs, such decisions are made by the (LEFA) NEC only.'
Tlalane Phahla
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