Lesotho - A tough year for sport

MASERU – Many people in the sports industry have described 2021 as their most difficult year, not only because they battled a pandemic but because their mental health took a huge toll as well.
This theme was certainly true for football as the sport was hit with multiple stoppages as government tried to minimise the spread of the corona virus in the country.

Now, as 2021 ends, we recount, in no particular order, big stories from this year as we look forward to a new year.
While we could not include all that happened this year, here are just some of the football stories that made the headlines in 2021.
Deaths of Lebaka and Tshabalala in early 2021

In January, the football fraternity was shocked by the sudden deaths of esteemed former Lesotho referee and instructor Rethusitsoe Lebaka, who passed on after a short illness, and the death of Lioli head coach Themba Tshabalala who lost his life after battling Covid-19 in hospital.
Tshabalala's death was perhaps the first time Covid-19 hit home, he had been in the Lioli job for just six months after joining 'Tse Nala' from Lifofane. The news of the deaths of Lebaka and Tshabalala came as a shock to everyone in football, and condolences to their families poured in from all corners of the country.

Lesotho Football Association (LEFA) and Premier League management Committee (PLMC) squabbles
Now, you may think this was not a big deal because these two fight every year and will probably find something new to argue about next year.
However, in 2021, the Lesotho Football Association (LEFA) really behaved like a big bully at school who torments other kids if they don't do as he says.
As usual, LEFA fought over the national team, Likuena.

In June, the then Lesotho head coach Thabo Senong called up a preliminary squad for the 2021 COSAFA Cup which was to be held in July.
Due to fears of Covid-19, LEFA did not allow players that were called to Senong's training camp to return to their respective clubs even though Premier League fixtures were still ongoing at the time which, of course, forced several clubs to play without key players.

The PLMC said it would not postpone league games, even if teams had more than three players in the national team, because it felt LEFA was being unreasonable.
The league argued LEFA had no right to confine players in camp because Senong's squad at the time was only a preliminary one.
This argument led to Lesotho Correctional Service (LCS) and Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) each failing to turn up for two league games.
The PLMC docked them six points each, and although the clubs tried to defend themselves, the PLMC would not hear a thing and insisted LCS and LDF broke the rules.

At some point during these squabbles, the 2020/21 season was suspended for the second time towards the end of July.
Three months later the PLMC went to LEFA with a recommendation from top-flight clubs to have the season aborted in order to prepare for a new one. A-Division teams, however, were having none of that and they wanted to play on.

LEFA sided with the lower division and ordered a continuation of the 2020/21 season much to the annoyance of Premier League clubs who pleaded poverty and asked LEFA to give them money for them to resume the season.
After trying to behave like a parent refusing to give sweets to kids, eventually LEFA released the money.

LEFA and the PLMC then held a meeting which they both dubbed as 'fruitful' but it was right after that meeting that the PLMC reversed its sanctions against LDF and LCS and decided it would re-fixture the games the clubs missed which only caused a further fixture pile-up.
Fruitful, right?

Ill-fated Mozambican tour in May and Senong's resignation in July
As part of the preparations for the COSAFA Cup, Likuena made a trip to Mozambique in May to play against the hosts and Eswatini in a pair of friendly matches. Although Likuena lost both games, nobody cared about the results because the scandals from the tour were juicier and we got to know we had criminals within the national team.

Several players were caught smoking marijuana and misbehaving in camp which led to their exclusion from the team afterwards. Now, we already knew our players freely smoke marijuana here at home but the head-scratcher was how they smuggled it into Mozambique. The stories were shocking and, if any of the players were caught, there is no doubt they would have faced harsher punishment than just kissing their national team call-ups goodbye.

It was from this Mozambique tour that Senong decided he was done with Bantu midfielder Tšoanelo Koetle and labelled him 'uncoachable' upon Likuena's return home. As stories from Mozambique started floating around, the marijuana smokers were never mentioned but one person that was mentioned by name was Thabo Matšoele who was caught on CCTV stealing money from Likuena team manager's hotel room.
Matšoele has since then turned his career around and returned to the national team set-up.
Senong, however, is gone.

With a week to go to the COSAFA Cup in July, LEFA announced Senong's resignation and that the South African coach would be returning to his home country. It was a shocking turn of events because Senong was all but done preparing Lesotho for the COSAFA Cup. To leave the team with just a week to go to the tournament was surprising.

Senong went on to join Premier Soccer League (PSL) outfit Sekhukhune FC back in his homeland. Leslie Notši replaced him on an interim basis and led Lesotho at the COSAFA Cup in South Africa.
Notši remains in charge as LEFA is yet to appoint a permanent coach.
Phafane's re-election and FIFA appointment

In September, Advocate Salemane Phafane won re-election to serve a fifth term as LEFA president after he resoundingly beat his challenger Lijane Nthunya. Phafane said the victory showed the trust LEFA's structures have in him and the belief they have that the association is progressing under his leadership. It was a successful year for Phafane. Not only did he win another term as LEFA president, he was also appointed to serve on FIFA's Disciplinary Committee after receiving a recommendation in April from Africa's governing body, CAF.
Rabale makes history

The Mehalalitoe captain became the first Mosotho to be crowned an African champion in football after winning the inaugural CAF Women's Champions League with Mamelodi Sundowns in November.
'Queen', as Rabale is affectionately known, had already won the COSAFA Women's Champions League with Sundowns in September before that historic triumph in Egypt. Her victory was celebrated throughout women's football in Lesotho because she started her career in the Women's Super League here at home. The Women's National Committee chairperson, Baholo Motene, described Rabale's achievements as a victory for everyone working hard to improve women's football in Lesotho and as an incentive to keep going.

AUSC Region 5 Youth Games
For 10 days at the start of December, Lesotho hosted the much-awaited African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Youth Games. And, yes, while the preparations were disappointing, the performance of Team Lesotho was not; the athletes performed beyond expectations and claimed 54 medals. The Lesotho Taekwondo Association (LTA) won the most medals for Lesotho in what was their debut at the games.
As a result, the association, which is still embroiled in infighting by the way, is dreaming again.

The LTA believes this new breed of fighters gives Lesotho taekwondo a chance to return to international recognition. Lesotho remains in fifth place in terms of all-time medal success at the African Championships, remnants of the 1990s when the country was a continental powerhouse in the sport. However, Lesotho taekwondo has fallen from its great heights and has not qualified for the Olympic Games since 2004.
Meanwhile, the girls' volleyball team also gave reason to smile. They won gold after impressing throughout their campaign at the Maseru Games.

Tlalane Phahla

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