Leemisa Thuseho
LIOLI FC assistant coach, Kenny Mohoanyane, faces a mammoth task to turn the tables and revitalise the team as they seek to regain consistency in their Vodacom Premier League (VPL) title defence campaign.
Mohoanyane has been assigned to take charge of the Teyateyaneng giants following the suspension of head coach Bongani Maseko.
Lioli FC suspended Maseko after a poor run of results. The club’s management has instructed him to continue reporting to the office, but he will no longer oversee training sessions, which will now be led by his assistants.
The decision follows a disappointing 0–0 draw against Manonyane on Saturday in Nyakosoba, which came shortly after another 1–1 draw with LDF in a midweek catch-up match in Maputsoe.
Lioli’s marketing manager, Kananelo Ramokoatsi, confirmed the suspension to this publication.
“The coach has been suspended until further notice and coach Mohoanyane will assume the leadership role of the team,” Ramokoatsi told the Lesotho Times.
He also confirmed that the decision was prompted by the team’s recent unsatisfactory results.
After 10 matches, Lioli have accumulated 18 points from five wins, two losses and two draws — a performance that has raised concern among supporters and management. This comes after a verbal ultimatum issued to Maseko last month demanding immediate improvement.
Lioli have already undergone several technical changes this season, parting ways with former assistant coaches Mohaila Letseka and Shetsane Ramoseeka.
Meanwhile, indications suggest that Maseko is unlikely to be reinstated, with Mohoanyane increasingly being seen as the favourite to take over the head-coach position permanently.
Mohoanyane is regarded as one of the country’s most promising coaching talents. Last season, he guided Maroala to the Premier League from the A Division League. A season before (2023/24), he led the team to a second-place finish.
Now that he is in charge, the task before Mohoanyane is to steady the ship and string together a series of positive results that will catapult Tse Nala back to the top of the table — a place where all Lioli fans feel they belong.
Mohoanyane’s first test will be against Machokha at the Saxophone Thejane Technical Centre in Maputsoe on Saturday. Thereafter, Lioli will face Majantja on 13 December at a venue yet to be confirmed. Their last match of the year (2025) will be against Limkokwing University on 20 December at Ratjomose Ground.
