Lioli star, & Likuena forward Tumelo Khutlang hopes of securing a contract at South Africa First division side Mthatha Bucs have hit the rocks and the player is set to return back home
Mikia Kalati
LIOLI star forward, Tumelo Khutlang’s hopes of securing a contract at South Africa First Division side, Mthatha Bucs appear to have fallen through amid indications that the player is set to return home.
Sources close to Mthatha Bucs told the Lesotho Times that the club’s coach, Ian Palmer, was against the signing the Likuena international as he was not impressed with the Tse Nala forward during their pre-season training.
Khutlang joined Bucs’ pre-season camp in Durban, South Africa a few days after playing for Likuena in the African Nations Championship (CHAN) against Comoros. He had impressed officials of the Eastern Cape team that were scouting for players at the regional COSAFA Cup.
He was one of the stand out players at the regional competition where Lesotho were knocked out in the semi-finals by Zimbabwe.
The left-footed winger was also outstanding for Tse Nala in the 2016/17 season where they won the LNIG Top 8 and the Independence Cup.
Lioli president, Lebohang Thotanyana, this week told this publication that Khutlang’s was uncertain at this stage after they were informed that the player had failed to impress at Bucs.
“Yes, I received that information from them though nothing is official at this stage, Thotanyana said.
“This is a situation where a player was spotted by officials of the club, only to find that the coach has a different opinion on his abilities.
“They cited fatigue as one of the problems and that the coach was not impressed though some officials of the team were happy with what they saw.
“But we still waiting for them to make the final call on whether or not they are taking the player.”
Khutlang played in all Likuena games starting with the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Tanzania in June, the COSAFA Cup as well as the two-legged African Nations qualifiers against Comoros.
