MASERU — The Lesotho Football Association (Lefa) says it will implement a new licensing system for premier league players next season.
The new season will kick off in August.
Under the system all premier league players must be registered and acquire licenses before they can be allowed to play.
Lefa facilities and administration manager, Mokhosi Mohapi, told the Lesotho Times the association was planning to introduce the licensing system to comply with a directive from Fifa.
“We have to do it because Fifa has issued a directive that all member associations must have a player licensing system by 2012,” Mohapi said.
“We will be implementing this by the 2011 season.”
Mohapi said the new system will however only be implemented after the association has trained all club officials on what is required.
He said the association will therefore hold training workshops to brief and educate club officials on what needs to be done.
“We are first going to train teams before the implementation to make sure that they know what the licensing system entails,” Mohapi said.
He said the initial training would first be targeted at club presidents, secretaries, team managers and general managers.
Mohapi said clubs were also expected to meet certain criteria before they can be able to qualify for the licensing system.
“As of August 2011, the teams will have to meet certain requirements for them to qualify for the player licensing system,” Mohapi said.
“Each club must have an office, an officer running that office every day, contracts with coaches as well as signing part-time contracts with officers,” he said.
He said all clubs are expected to have offices from which they operate.
This will allow Lefa officials to monitor developments at clubs.
“The officer running the club’s office must be a signatory to that office so that Lefa accountants can drop in at any time to check their books and verify if coaches are being paid,” he said.
He said the teams will also be obliged to sign agreements with the players at the beginning of every season.
“No player will be registered with any club if such club does not have a written and signed agreement with the player,” Mohapi said.
“Lefa will keep the original agreement while the team and the player will each have a copy,” he said.
