MASERU — Likuena will not be looking for a new coach any time soon.
The announcement of a new coach could take place as late as next year.
The national side is currently under the tutelage of Leslie Notši on a caretaker basis after Serb Zavisa Milosavljevic was dismissed two weeks ago.
Seaking to the Lesotho Times this week, the Lesotho Football Association’s (LEFA) acting chief executive officer Mokhosi Mohapi said the search for Milosavljevic’s permanent replacement had not begun, and would not begin until after next month’s COSAFA Senior Challenge Cup at the earliest.
Mohapi said no shortlist for replacements had been made.
“The association is not searching for a coach in the meantime,” Mohapi said on Tuesday.
“I don’t know when it will happen.”
Last week Lesotho suffered a 5-0 defeat at the hands of Malaysia’s Under-23 side. Likuena’s next assignment is the COSAFA Challenge which will kick off on October 17. The draw is set for today.
“The coach knows what targets we have set for him,” Mohapi said when asked of the expectations from the tournament.
“We are not going to discuss appointing a new coach when the team is about to take part in the COSAFA Challenge.”
However, any delay in the announcement of a coach means Lesotho will face a similar situation to what happened when Milosavljevic was hired last year.
With the 2012 African Cup of Nations qualifiers starting next September, any coach will have less than 12 months to prepare the team.
Milosavljevic only had a month to prepare the team for the side’s ill-fated World Cup/AFCON qualifiers last year which saw Likuena finish last in their group with no points from six games.
Mohapi also defended the players who had gone on drinking binges.
Matlama’s Thapelo Mokhehle, LMPS’s Teboho Sehloho, Likhopo’s Nyakhane Nyakhane and Orlando Pirates development player Motlalepula Mofolo were all suspended from Likuena due to alcohol-related incidents before and during the side’s trip to Zimbabwe last month.
Mohapi refused to say what punishment had been meted out to the quartet who all missed Lesotho’s match in Malaysia.
“The only incident that Thapelo Mokhehle has been involved in (before) was the red card (received against Gabon in a World Cup qualifier last year),” Mohapi said.
“Yes these boys have made mistakes but they shouldn’t be ostracised. Everyone makes mistakes.”
“We are not the only association that is faced with such problems,” he added.
Meanwhile, Lesotho will host a four-nation Under-20 tournament next month. It will feature the hosts, Botswana, Namibia and Swaziland.
