MASERU — The Lesotho Football Association (Lefa) says the government’s decision to cut the national soccer team’s budget this year has left Likuena too broke to fund its projects.
The ministry of sports reduced the team’s budget from M5 million to M500 000 this financial year.
Likuena head of delegation and Lefa executive committee member, Khiba Mohoanyane, told the
Lesotho Times that some of the team’s projects were now hanging in the balance owing to shortage of funds.
“Unless the ministry of sports comes on board and agrees to revise its decision to cut the budget, Likuena projects are impossible to achieve,” Mohoanyane said yesterday.
He said it was difficult to implement all the national team’s activities with only M500 000.
“We no longer have that budget (M5 million). Instead the ministry has told all its departments to make sacrifices and Likuena have been allocated M500 000 only.”
Part of the money has already been used on the Under 20 team.
Mohoanyane said Likuena used to be allocated about M5 million during Serbian, Zavisa Milosavljevic’s reign as Likuena coach in 2008.
However this was cut after Lefa sacked Milosavljevic over poor results two years ago.
“We could be happy to receive around the same M5 million but it is still not enough because our budget is way over that.
“For example, if Likuena beat Burundi in November and face Ghana in the World Cup qualifying games, we will need M800 000 or so to travel to Ghana only,” he said.
Mohoanyane said they will be meeting a delegation from the sports ministry in the next two weeks to discuss the budget.
“We are meeting with them in the next two weeks and we are hoping that they will realise the importance of this matter,” Mohoanyane said.
“But if they don’t, this will negatively affect all the national team’s projects and its mandate to improve its results,” he said.
Meanwhile, Likuena will on Saturday host Swaziland at Setsoto Stadium in an international friendly meant to prepare the locals for its Burundi match in November.
Lefa technical director Seephephe ‘Mochini’ Matete confirmed this development to the Lesotho Times yesterday.
“Likuena will be playing against Swaziland on Saturday and Monday at Setsoto Stadium,” Matete said.
He said the team is gearing up for both matches against the Swazis who only confirmed on Tuesday that they were coming.
“They only confirmed yesterday (Tuesday) that they will be honouring the friendly games. They will be arriving on Friday (tomorrow).”
