Leemisa Thuseho
THE Vodacom Premier League champions, Lijabatho, have set their sights beyond merely winning the domestic league title, with the club now targeting a strong showing in the 2026/27 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League.
The Morija-based outfit sealed the league championship in emphatic fashion after thrashing defending champions Lioli 4-0 at Setsoto Stadium over the weekend to open an unassailable four-point lead at the summit of the table.
The victory moved Lijabatho to 62 points, placing them beyond the reach of closest challengers Bantu and Matlama, who can only finish the season with a maximum of 61 points.
Lijabatho will conclude their campaign with a dead-rubber encounter against Matlama this weekend.
The triumph marked a historic milestone for the club, as it was their first major trophy and maiden top-flight league title since gaining promotion from the A Division at the end of the 2018/19 season.
The team’s coach, James Madidilane said, the club’s ambitions were now centred on both domestic dominance and continental success after automatically qualifying to represent Lesotho in next season’s CAF Champions League.
Madidilane said the club wanted to become the first Lesotho side in recent history to reach the group stages of the continental competition.
“We are not satisfied with only winning the league in Lesotho. Our biggest mandate is to go beyond the CAF Champions League preliminary stages and reach the group stages,” Madidilane told the Lesotho Times.
“I told the boys that I still stand by my words that we want to become the first team from Lesotho to reach the group stages. We know it will not be easy, but we are going to work hard to achieve that dream.
“That is our wish as Lijabatho and, with God and hard work, it is possible.”
Madidilane is no stranger to the CAF Champions League, having previously competed in the tournament with Bantu after guiding the Mafeteng giants to the 2016/17 and 2017/18 league titles.
Despite the celebrations, the South African tactician admitted there was still work to be done ahead of the club’s maiden CAF Champions League campaign.
“With the team we have, there are still some technical aspects we need to improve on, especially when we are without the ball. But in attack, I think we are doing well so far,” he said.
