Leemisa Thuseho
…says it was a learning curve
NATIONAL Under-15 men’s team coach, Mahlomola Matšoara, has described Lesotho’s participation in the recent FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival in Baku, Azerbaijan, as an immense learning curve.
The tournament, which ran from 24 to 30 October, saw Lesotho finish 116th out of 189 participating countries. The team ranked 27th among the 54 African countries and seventh among the 14 COSAFA member nations that took part.
Lesotho recorded three wins and five defeats in its eight matches.
The tournament marked the first time Lesotho had fielded a team at a FIFA World Cup event across all age categories. The national squad was largely made up of players from the Lesotho Football Association (LeFA) Academy in Leribe.
Despite the tournament being played in an eight-a-side format, consisting of two 20-minute halves, Matšoara said the technical team had identified speed, physical strength and bravery as key areas in which local players needed to improve.
“What we learnt as a technical team is the importance of speed, physical strength and the outstanding bravery displayed by players from other countries,” Matšoara said.
While acknowledging that Lesotho still lagged behind in several areas, he expressed confidence that the introduction of the LeFA Academy would help develop more competitive players in the future.
He also credited FIFA’s Talent Development Scheme (TDS), which was rolled out in Lesotho in 2023, for providing a platform to identify and nurture talented young players born between 2011 and 2012.
FIFA has also provided the academy with a development coach, Sam Smith, from the United Kingdom.
“For a long time, we have been lacking in many areas, but since the introduction of the TDS programme and the appointment of a development coach through FIFA, I hope we will eventually get there,” he said.
Reflecting on the tournament’s demanding schedule, which saw teams play approximately two matches per day at a high tempo, Matšoara said the experience exposed the players to experimental rule changes and challenged them to perform under demanding conditions.
He noted that the eight-a-side format offered valuable technical and developmental lessons for young players.
“Playing in the eight-a-side format accelerated tactical decision-making under pressure, technical execution under fatigue and the speed of structural transitions,” he said.
Matšoara has called for the introduction of the eight-a-side format in schools, arguing that it could contribute significantly to the development of local football by accelerating players’ technical, tactical and physical growth.
