MASERU — Lioli Football Club have appointed Retšelisitsoe Lephaila as the club’s new head coach.
“Ntate Retšelisitsoe Lephaila is now our head coach,” Lioli president Lebohang Thotanyana said on Tuesday.
Lephaila’s appointment ended Lioli’s month-long search for a new mentor after the club fired Halemakale Mahlaha in March after a spate of poor results.
Thotanyana said the club believed Lephaila, 33, was the right candidate to lead the club into the future.
“His profile suits our vision as Lioli football club,” he said.
“Given that he won the Vodacom Soccer Spectacular with Likhopo last season, we believe he is the right person who can help Lioli achieve its goals and win us a cup this coming season.”
There were reports last month that the club was looking at appointing an experienced coach from Zambia.
Lesotho Correctional Service coach, Katiso Mojakhomo, was also linked with the plum job.
But Thotanyana said they had settled for Lephaila because they wanted a person “who will help make our dreams come true come next season”.
“With the necessary discipline and a professional coach, we can achieve more both on and off the field.”
Thotanyana said the Lioli executive committee hired Lephaila after it was satisfied with the information provided by the team’s technical advisory panel.
Despite finishing eighth on the Vodacom Premier League log last season, Lioli remains the only premier league team with solid development structures.
“We did not do well this past season but we were not bad because we won one of the three cups — the Nthane Brothers Independence Cup,” Thotanyana said.
He said they were planning to start and finish the league on a high note this season.
“We started the league very well last year but fizzled out later. This time we want to continue winning like we’ve done in the past years,” he said.
Meanwhile, Thotanyana said the Lioli Zonal Tournament went well last Sunday.
“Lioli supporters will be glad to know that the Lioli Zonal Tournament is already bearing positive fruits as we have managed to identify some players with a lot of potential.
“We are now working to groom these players,” he said.
