MASERU — The Lesotho Football Association (Lefa) will use its US$300 000 (about M2 240 230) bonus from Fifa to build offices for district football associations around the country.
“In fact, Lefa executive committee has taken a decision to build two-roomed offices for District Football Associations (Difa) around the country,” said Khiba Mohoanyane, Lefa’s second vice president, yesterday.
Fifa, world football governing board, gave each member association a US$300 000 bonus earlier this year from profits it amassed from the 2010 World Cup held in South Africa last June.
The gift is a major boost for Lesotho which failed despite spirited efforts to host teams participating at the 2010 soccer showpiece..
Mohoanyane said each association must secure a site and register it before Lefa can construct the offices.
Over the years most district associations have had to rent office space but some have been run from homes of senior officials.
There are 10 district football associations in the country.
“Leribe has already secured a site with a valid lease and we must be hands on as soon as possible.
“Qacha’s Nek as well has a site but we are not comfortable with it because it is on the outskirts of the town. We’ve since asked them to look for another one,” Mohoanyane said.
The rest of the Difas were already in the process of getting sites with valid leases.
The building of offices around the country is part of the association’s efforts to professionalise football in the country by 2014.
Mohoanyane said district football associations were operating from officials’ homes or tented offices and this was not sustainable.
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“Hence we decided to build district offices in our pursuit to professionalise football in the country,” he said.
According to investigations by this paper Lefa President Salemane Phafane has already assigned some of the association’s employees to look for contractors to build the offices.
Leribe, with a site in Maputsoe, will be the first Difa to benefit from the project while others will follow soon after acquiring sites with valid leases.
If all the nine remaining Difas secure sites with valid leases in time, each district association is expected to have offices by end of next year.