MASERU – Three members of the Maseru District Football Association (Difa) interim committee were on Saturday banned for five years for allegedly bringing the game of football into disrepute.
The three – Retselisitsoe Sefali, Emmanuel Thebiri and Muso Mofoka – were part of a five-man committee which wrote a letter to the Lesotho Football Association (Lefa) passing a vote of no confidence in Difa.
Two other members of the committee – Tseliso Tale and Sekonyela Mokhosi – are also expected to be hauled before the disciplinary committee this weekend.
Difa Maseru vice-president Lebohang Ramakhula confirmed the development in an interview with the Lesotho Times on Tuesday.
“We summoned them to a hearing on Saturday and found out that they were guilty of putting Maseru football administration into disrepute,” Ramakhula said.
“We wanted them to explain why they wrote a letter of a no-confidence motion to Lefa and Difa Maseru and show us the names of the teams that mandated them to do so,” he said.
Ramakhula said Thebiri had told the committee that they had been mandated to request a meeting with Difa Maseru.
“One of them, Emmanuel Thebiri, explained to us that their mandate was to meet with Difa and table the teams’ grievances, not to pass a no-confidence motion.
“Retselisitsoe Sefali wanted to argue under which position we had called him; whether as an interim committee member or as a member of Likhaka FC or in his individual capacity.
“On the other hand, Muso Mofoka could not answer the questions citing that his team did not give him a mandate to appear before the committee and answer all the questions.”
Ramakhula said the three had shown an arrogant attitude which had led the disciplinary committee to ban them from any football-related activities organised by Difa Maseru or Lefa.
“They demonstrated arrogance throughout the meeting and it is that arrogance that forced us to ban them for five years starting on Saturday,” Ramakhula said.
“That means they can’t take part in any activities of Difa Maseru as well of Lefa because we are an organ of Lefa,” he said.
He said the committee was also going to question the teams and if found guilty, they will also be punished.
“We’ve agreed that we will call the teams where these people belong and question them,” Ramakhula said.
“If these teams are found guilty of being involved in these actions, they will also be punished as well. This should happen in the coming two weeks,” he said.
Sefali belongs to Likhaka FC, Thebiri to Emmanuel FC while Mofoka is a member of the Lifefo FC in Ha Mofoka.
The suspended trio said they were planning to appeal against the ban.
“I intend to appeal against this ban. The teams which elected me to represent them have called me asking me to appeal against the ban.
“I am just waiting for a written judgment and we will meet to plan and discuss our strategy after receiving the judgment,” Sefali said.
He said the ban was unfair because of the manner it had been handled.
