Sport Public Eye
May 18, 2018
Likatola hang on NEO SENOKO
M
ASERU - Following a secondrate showing at the Rugby Africa Bronze Cup tournament in Ghana last week, the senior national rugby side Likatola have been given a lifeline to win the upcoming Rugby Sevens tournament to remain in the Bronze category for next season. Likatola failed to qualify for the silver category when they succumbed to two hefty defeats at the hands of Mauritius and Ruanda in Ghana. In the first encounter, they went down 49-16 against Mauritius before failing to redeem themselves in their second clash when Rwanda shattered their dreams with a 32-22 thumping. In essence Likatola have not only missed a golden opportunity to get promoted to the silver category but have also been relegated from bronze to the regional challenge. They were supposed to win their last match against Ruanda in order to remain in the Bronze category. However, all is not lost for the national team as they have been given a lifeline to at least remain in the Bronze category with the hope of finally making it into Silver section in their next attempt. In order to achieve that feat, Likatola should win the Rugby Sevens tournament scheduled for September where they will meet some of the toughest contenders in the region. Likatola assistant coach Moleleki Moleleki told Public Eye that his charges have put their Ghana performance behind and are ready to focus on the Sevens tourney as that is their only chance to stay in the bronze category. “We have to use all the ammunition in
our arsenal to remain in the Bronze category in spite of not doing well in Ghana. I believe we have gained enough experience which can help us achieve our goal,” Moleleki said in an interview with Public Eye on Tuesday. Moleleki who is himself a former Likatola player has cited several challenges they encountered in Ghana. Among others, he touched on the team’s lack of experience and extremely hot temperatures as their major setbacks during the competition. “The first time experience also worked against us because we learnt some crucial aspects of the tournament as the games proceeded, the weather condition was also not friendly and fatigue bothered us a lot. If you look at our first game against Mauritius, we went to halftime leading, however things changed in the second half as soon as fatigue set in,” he said. He added: “In our next game we tried to lower the tempo of the game in a bid to generate less heat ourselves but it was still too much for us. We are, however, gratified over the opportunity we got to fight over a spot in the category, there is no doubt we have what it takes to be there.” While funds were another challenge the team faced ahead of the Ghana trip, Moleleki could nonetheless not be drawn to go into details on how that drawback affected them. “I do not want to blame our performance on the finances but it is worth noting that the team could not go to camp due to lack of funds. “And we did not know whether we were going to participate in the tournament or not until the last minute when we were told that our plane tickets were ready. So it obviously affected our mental strength but I do not want to complain about such issues,” he said.
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Public Eye
Friday May 18, 2018
Sport News From The Terraces NTHAKO MAJORO
It’s a win for Bantu, or is it not? As the Econet Premier League comes to end tomorrow, the expectation is that as usual the champions will receive the league trophy. But owing to the current situation, no one is completely certain what the future holds for Bantu despite that they are deservedly the champions. This has been the most talked about issue over local radio stations and social media platforms from last week. One would think by now the Premier League Management Committee (PLMC) would know for sure what is going to happen but I can bet my last cent that they are as lost as everyone else as to how the whole thing will pan out. This is despite last week’s confirmation by t h e P L M C ’ s e c re ta ry ge n e ra l , Lehlohonolo Matlosa, on a local radio station that Bantu would be crowned the champions as it was already clear that they were. Matlosa announced that for that matter, his committee would not hesitate to hand the league trophy to the deserving champions. I think he was right pending the arbitration award which is expected to be issued next week Monday in the marathon case in which Bantu FC were found guilty by both the local football tribunal and the Appeals Board Panel for unlawful registration of the team’s four foreign players. But don’t be surprised if tomorrow Bantu is not handed the trophy. The grapevine has it that PLMC is no longer sure of what is going to happen. This means Matlosa is also aware that his assurance is no longer germane. My point is that the Bantu case should have been treated as an emergency to make things easier for everyone. We would not be talking about whether Bantu will be handed the league trophy or not by now, had our football administrators taken the case very serious from the beginning. The best example happened in South Africa in a case where Ajax Cape Town were found guilty of breaching the South African Football Association (SAFA) and the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA)’s regulations relating to their fielding of Tendai Ndoro. Ndoro played for three teams in one season, Orlando Pirates, Saudi Arabian side Al-Faisaly and Ajax Cape Town and this is against FIFA’s regulations on the status and transfer of players, which stipulate that ‘a player may only be registered with one club at a time’ and further indicate that ‘players may be registered with a maximum of three clubs during one season’, while furthermore specifying that ‘during this period the player is only eligible to play official matches for two teams.’ So playing for Ajax after Pirates and Al-Faisaly was in breach of the FIFA regulations by both Ndoro and the Cape Town based-side. And as we talk Ajax Cape Town have been relegated after the matches which they played against Platinum Stars, Polokwane City and Supersport United have since been awarded to the trio. Shouldn’t LeFA and PLMC follow this landmark ruling?
Basia makes it to top 100 riders NTHAKO MAJORO
M
ASERU – A local rider Basia ’Maseatile successfully qualified for this year’s edition of the Roof of Africa Rally during the bronze class qualifying contest held in Roma, Maseru last Saturday. ’Maseatile, according to the Lesotho Off-Road Association (LORA) spokesperson, Keketso Malebo, finished among the top 100 contenders from a total 281 riders during the gruelling contest. A total 276 of riders from South Africa and five from Lesotho competed in the twoloop race which measured 30km and 52km. Malebo said another promising local rider, Timello Tšolo, also made quite an
NEO SENOKO MASERU - There is hope for baseball and softball in Lesotho following a successful development training programme held over the past weekend. Four primary schools, Assumption, Hoohlo, Mabote and Maseru East Government School benefited from the three-day training programme their members attended. The only private team that attended the training was Angels, a development club from Ha Leqele in Maseru. No special criteria were used for the selection of participants at the workshop as invitations were sent out to various schools and teams prior to the training clinic. Under the guidance of two experts from Italy and America, the young trainees were equipped with playing skills, knowledge and better understanding of the two sport codes. The workshop fully sponsored by the World Baseball and Softball Confederation (WBSC) follows a pilot programme that was launched in February. L e s o t h o Ba s eba l l a n d So f t ba l l Association (LBSA) spokesperson Lisema Mapetla told Public Eye on Wednesday that the programme was a success, saying the two foreign coaches were content with the response of the participants towards the training. “We are happy with the way things turned out and even our visitors were satisfied as well as motivated from day one.
impression and ran the race to the finishline, adding this year’s episode was a bit technical in comparison with last year’s. The qualifiers were Tšolo’s debut appearance in the famous annual off road show that attracts top riders from all over the world. “To qualify for the main Roof of Africa Race, competitors were expected to finish among the first 100 riders and Basia is the only local rider who was able to make it through,” Malebo told Public Eye on Wednesday, adding another ’Maseatile brother, Tobatsi failed to finish the race. “Tobatsi did not finish the race because he fell off and broke his bike during the second loop,” he said. Other local riders who competed in
the event comprised Teboho Moretlo and Joseph Motenane. However, the two were using the competition to prepare for the main event, as both are competing in the silver class. Mal ebo sai d bo t h Mo re t l o an d Motenane also finished among the top 100 but because they were not necessarily competing for a slot, they were not counted among the 100 who crossed the finish-line. He said although the standard of competition was quite remarkable, the main challenge however, was the rain that fell persistently, making the going much tougher that it already was. The main Roof of Africa Race is set for December 5-8 in Maseru and Roma.
Hope for baseball, softball teams
Softball and Baseball experts educating children about the sport
They were positive that all the knowledge and skills they imparted on the young players will benefit the country in future,” Mapetla said on Wednesday in an interview with Public Eye. Elaborating the significance of such programmes in the modern era, Mapetla described passion for the two sport codes as a major driving force that would propel the young players into big stars in future. “Through this programme we are trying to introduce the sports to children
so that they can develop into better players, so passion and determination are very important factors for the future stars who are likely to take the sport to greater heights,” he added. While both baseball and softball are not yet that popular in Lesotho, Mapetla warned the youngsters that the sports would gain popularity through such development programmes, indicating more development could be realised quickly if the world mother body could keep supporting the LBSA.
Public Eye
Friday May 18, 2018 23
Sport News NTHAKO MAJORO
M
ASERU - The 2017/18 Econet Premier League season ends this weekend with Bantu deservedly the champions, irrespective of whether they lose or draw against Matlama tomorrow. A Matšo Matebele have already secured the first spot. They are six points ahead of runners up, Lioli, who have garnered 47 points. Ts e Na l a fa c e L M PS i n tomorrow’s super Saturday and if they win the tie, they will wrap the season with 50 points. A successful campaign over the weekend will see Bantu winning the league title back-toback after they were crowned the 2016/17 champions. This is going to be the third league title which Bantu win since the Mafeteng-based club founding in 1927. It took Bantu 77 years to clinch their first league trophy, under the guidance of the late coach, Motlatsi Shale. But in the following season, 2014/15, Bantu were never the same. They finished the league lying on position seven. That was after Shale left the team unceremoniously at the beginning of the same season to later return before he left again for good. Bantu then roped in a new coach in Bafokeng Mohapi, who unfortunately could not change the fortunes of the side. Bantu were forced to engage Coach Katiso Mojakhomo in the following season of 2015/16, but his was a brief stint because the team’s performance remained pitiable. Lioli won the league title backto-back in those two seasons, when Bantu’s performance was at low elbow. Thanks to Coach James Madidilane Bantu managed to reclaim the league title. Madidilane is the only coach after Shale who won the league trophy, and tomorrow he is making history by successfully defending the title. The secret behind his successful coaching prowess at Bantu is without doubt his assistant, Bob Matsoso. Unlike Madidilane who began his coaching career in Lesotho with Bantu last season, Matsoso previously mentored Sandawana FC and guided them to a fourthplace finish in his first season in the top-flight league in 2015/16 Season. That tells a lot about Matsoso’s experience as a coach. Along with Madidilane who is the former Bloemfontein Celtic player, they have proven to be some of the best coaches in the domestic league. Besides, the quality of players that Bantu have also makes it easy for the two mentors to produce intended results. Some of the team’s top players include the highly experienced and formidable Litšepe Marabe along with sensational attacking midfileder Hlompho Stiga Kalake and Ramasimong Maloisane to
It’s a done win for Bantu
FILE: Bantu head coach James Madidilane after celebrating a goal against LDF in a league match
mention a few. According to former Likuena head coach, Monaheng Monyane, Bantu were able to defend their league title because they started where they finished last season and were consistent throughout the season. “ T h ey sta rte d we l l a n d maintained their good form throughout the season. I cannot say much about Madidilane as a coach because he is relatively new but I trust Bob Matsoso. “He is a good character and in future we are going to have a splendid head coach for the senior national team in him,” Monyane says. Nevertheless, he notes that although he does not know much about Madidilane’s pedigree as a coach, it was however, evident that they made a perfect combination with Matsoso. “Like I said, I don’t know much about Madidilane, but he and Matsoso complement one another quite well,” he also says. Bantu have come this far in spite of the fact that some of their key players such as Thabo Selisa, who was the team’s first choice goalkeeper and ace defender Itumeleng Falene, were side-lined after the club lost the case in which their arch rivals Lioli accused the Lesotho champions of fielding unlawfully registered foreign players against them. The football tribunal later ruled that Falene and Selisa along with two others were indeed South African nationals and had been unlawfully registered as Lesotho nationals. The tribunal further ordered the four to be de-registered, a decision later upheld by an appeal sports panel. However, the same case has been taken for arbitration with the award expected to be issued on Monday next week. Lioli have since been awarded three points and three goals, and now other teams have joined
in the fray and demand similar treatment, arguing the same players were also fielded against them. Linare have already written to the Premier League Management Committee (PLMC) to lay their claim against Bantu. Should the other complainants be treated in a similar fashion with Lioli, Bantu stand to lose a lot of crucial points which will eventually cost them the league title. “This of course does not look good at all. It is very frustrating especially after the coaches did such a great job. It is embarrassing to say the least,” Monyane says. For his part, Mojakhomo i s a d a m a n t t h a t B a n t u ’s achievement came about because they learnt from their past mistakes. “I think Bantu’s management has learnt from their past mistakes and this is why the team is doing so well,” says Mojakhomo. He adds: “They have realised that changing coaches one after the other in one season is not good for the team and that they should not interfere with the coach’s work. This is why even after their four players were side-lined they still managed to outperform their opponents.” L i ke B a n t u , L i o l i h ave already cemented themselves in the second spot in the league,
irrespective of whether they lose or draw against LMPS. With only 42 points on third position, Matlama cannot exceed Lioli. Tse Putsoa will have a total of 45 points if they win their last match against Bantu. And of course to secure the third position Matlama must beat Bantu. This is because fourth-placed LDF are having an easy match against the already relegated Sky Battalion. LDF have collected 40 points and if they win and Matlama lose the army side will end the season sitting on third position, one point ahead of Matlama. Evidently, it is imperative that LDF win their last match if they wish to secure a slot in the Independence Cup also known as the Top 4 tournament. Unlike Bantu, Lioli and Matlama who have already booked places in the upcoming Independence Cup, the army side still need to garner more points. Should the unexpected happen and LDF lose to Sky Battalion tomorrow and fifth-placed LCS, who are three points behind LDF beat Sefothafotha, chances of LDF qualifying for Lesotho’s traditional football tournament will vanish. This is because the two teams will be neck to neck with 40
points each, and because of being ahead by goal difference, LCS will definitely make it into the top four bracket. Masheshena conceded 16 goals while LDF conceded 19 though the two scored 28 goals each. So between LDF and LCS one will join the top three for this year’s Independence Cup, which normally takes place on October 4 when Lesotho celebrates its independence. Another battle to win for the other Premier League teams is for a slot in the LNIG Top 8 Tournament. Bantu, Lioli, Matlama, LDF and LCS can safely say they are already in the tournament owing to their log standings and points. K i c k 4 L i fe, L M PS a n d Liphakoe who are currently on position six, seven and eight respectively, must all win to safeguard their places in the Top 8. What is interesting though is that Liphakoe are finishing with a game against Majantja. The latter are lying just behind Liphakoe (on position nine) on the log standing, with a difference of only one point between them. If Liphakoe lose to Majantja they will remain with 27 points while Majantja will increase their tally from 26 to 29 and qualify for the Top 8 Tournament. Even 10th placed Linare could also make it into the Top 8 if Liphakoe lose this weekend. Linare, currently having 25 points however must beat Kick4Life to end the season with 28 points. This is going to be another interesting match as Kick4Life also need to collect maximum points to remain in the Top 8 bracket. At the bottom of the log, the battle is over for Sky Battalion who face the axe whether or not they win their last match. B u t t h e 1 3 th- p l a c e d F C Likhopo (with 17 points) will battle-it-out in the play-offs against A Division’s runners-up, Lithabaneng Golden from the southern stream and Ketane FC from the northern stream. A date for the play-offs is yet to be announced.