Quote of the week

“To be a great champion you must believe you are the best. If you're not, pretend you are.” – Muhammad Ali

Monday, April 30, 2012

Ghana-Lesotho game moved



Lesotho is heading to Kumasi
Lesotho’s opening 2014 World Cup qualifier against Ghana has been moved to the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi on Friday June 1, the Ghana FA has announced.

The match was originally scheduled to be played in the capital Accra on Saturday June 2. But Ghana’s hosting of this year’s regional Ecowas Games has forced authorities to reschedule the tie to the country’s second biggest city, on a different date.

Kumasi has previously played host to World Cup qualifiers and it was seen as the natural replacement for Accra.

“We realised the Ecowas games will start on the Saturday in Accra and because we wanted full support for the Black Stars we decided to shift it to Friday,” the president of the Ghana FA, Kwesi Nyantakyi, said.

“The match is being played in Kumasi and we want to start it in grand style and we all know Kumasi has been a Black Stars stronghold in terms of support so that is the rationale behind the move to Kumasi,” he added.

The Baba Yara Sports Stadium is also seen as the perfect beginning for new Black Stars coach Kwesi Appiah who played for Kumasi-based giants Asante Kotoko.

The match against Likuena will be the ex-Black Stars captain’s first official game in charge.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

From The Archives: Time for Lesotho to step up



This piece was first written last November after Likuena’s qualification for the group stage of 2014 Fifa World Cup qualifying, thanks to a two-legged preliminary round win over Burundi.
Likuena
Congratulations to Likuena for making it through to the group stage of 2014 Fifa World Cup qualifying.

It is a notable achievement for national coach Leslie Notši and his players. It has put Lesotho amongst Africa’s top national teams, and also breathed life into local football. Likuena can look now forward to competing alongside Ghana, Zambia and Sudan for the right to make it through to the Fifa World Cup Finals in 2014, in Brazil.

However, this success doesn’t mean we should rest on our laurels or even become big-headed. We shouldn’t fool ourselves thinking we can conquer the world.

This is just a start; a building block that has to be built upon.

The decision by the Lesotho Football Association (Lefa) to suspend the senior team last year and focus on Lesotho’s national youth sides has so far been vindicated. But more now needs to be done to consolidate this progress.

For one thing Lesotho football won’t go anywhere while it’s still being played on potato fields. Players and supporters alike continue to decry this situation, which has remained unchanged for decades.

There also has to be more investment in grassroots football while talent identification has to start from schools.

And when this talent is identified it needs much better nurturing and monitoring.

Better management of the top-flight is also desperately needed, while clubs themselves need to work harder to improve their administration. On average Lesotho Premier League clubs are run on debt and are only kept afloat by well wishers. Players are not insured or paid, and have to fend for themselves.

All these factors snowball, resulting in Lesotho being left behind at the highest level by almost all countries in Africa.

This phenomenon illustrated by how Lesotho has always fared well in youth football but failed at senior level. This is because of the poor levels of the league, administration and facilities. Lesotho currently has a talented generation of players at its disposal and their talent has to be afforded a proper platform.

Lehlomela Ramabele... one for the future
It is time we began to seriously move towards semi-professionalism.

It is not like we don’t have the guidelines. The Mohale Declaration is there – signed and sealed by Lesotho’s club in 2008. But, over three years after its signing it’s hard to say Lesotho football has progressed in the way the roadmap intended it to. For example the Mohale Declaration says: “by 2014 all clubs will have consistently access to (or ownership of) developed training facilities that will by 2014 be fully provided and include turf, dressing rooms and training lights”… It is time we stopped paying lip service to vital aspects like this. And Lesotho has to use Likuena’s immediate success as a starting point.

Of course there are external of challenges, economic and demographic, which affect Lesotho football but most challenges can be overcome. The only thing that is needed is a more solemn approach by the Lefa. Security and improving facilities are just two aspects Lesotho which mostly require initiative.

What we have to realise is that Lesotho has fallen behind all its neighbours.

True leadership means being able to offer workable solutions to problems and being willing to offer new ideas. If something isn’t done now then this window of opportunity for Lesotho football will be missed, just as it was in 2000.

November 2011

Molapo Sports Centre

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Vodacom Premier League: Results

Results:

Saturday, 28 April

LMPS 1-1 Bantu, LCS 5-1 Maduma, LDF 0-0 Majantja, Linare 0-0 Likhopo, Joy 2-2 Mpharane Celtics, Matlama 1-2 Lioli
   
Vodacom Premier League table



P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
C
LCS
21
13
5
3
38
16
22
44
2
LDF
21
9
8
4
25
17
8
35
3
Bantu
21
7
11
3
23
16
7
32
4
Matlama
21
9
4
8
25
26
-1
31
5
Lioli
21
7
9
5
18
14
4
30
6
LMPS
21
6
9
6
18
23
-5
27
7
Linare
21
7
5
9
22
28
-6
26
8
Joy
21
5
9
7
20
21
-1
24
9
Mpharane Celtics
21
5
9
7
24
30
-6
24
10
Likhopo
21
5
8
8
14
17
-3
23
11
Maduma
21
4
8
9
25
32
-7
20
R
Majantja
21
2
9
10
11
23
-12
15

































































































































The Madrid Report: With Mitchell Demula

The African Madridista – Mitchell Demula, gives his thoughts on Real Madrid’s Uefa Champions League semi-final defeat to Bayern Munich on Wednesday. It wasn't easy for him...

Joy...
It was generally a good game although I expected more from Madrid. They had some good counters but didn’t use their chances, same case for Bayern. Both teams looked good on attack. I just wish Kaka was introduced earlier; Di Maria was having another average game, even if he started well in the first 15 minutes.

I think the number of games these guys have played in the past four weeks, including the Clasico, took its toll. You could see they were trying hard but they just weren’t clinical. But overall, big ups to Bayern, they put up an outstanding fight.

Madrid had scored the first two goals, in the first 20 minutes, then Pepe gave away a penalty – he played well though and it was just hard luck. Robben converted the penalty and from then both teams were fighting till the penalty shootout.

Despair...
Friday, April 27