Mikia Kalati
FOR a change the Lesotho Premier League has in this transfer window exported three players who have signed with South African clubs for the 2018/19 season that got underway last weekend.
Lioli’s Tumelo Khutlang signed for Black Leopards after impressing the side while on national duty with Likuena in the 2018 COSAFA Cup tournament that was held in the Limpopo Province of South Africa in June this year.
Former Kick4Life striker and 2017/18 Econet Premier League Top Goal scorer, Nkoto Masoabi, last week settled at Durban based National First Division (NFD) side, Real Kings. He had failed to secure contracts at Black Leopards and Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila last month.
The 2017/18 Econet Premier League Player of the Season, Maloisane Ramasimong, was also unveiled among the new faces at Bloemfontein Celtic ahead of the South African premiership season after two successful years at Bantu.
There is also Likuena winger Luciano Matsoso, who has also signed for Black Leopards. Although Luciano has never played in the domestic league, he also impressed Lidoda Duvha at the 2018 COSAFA tournament.
After a long struggle, local players finally have an opportunity to shine and prove that the country can also produce quality footballers
I believe that this is motivation to younger players in the country to work hard and be disciplined so that they too can follow in the footsteps of Khutlang and Masoabi.
It is unfortunate that Lioli’s Kopano Tseka and Lindokuhle Phungulwa failed to secure contracts when they were invited for trials at different clubs.
Even though Ramasimong is a South African, there is no doubt that the two years he spent at Bantu helped him mature and he eventually got a chance at Bloemfontein Celtic senior team.
The winger previously played for the Bloemfontein development side but was eventually deemed excess baggage resulting in him coming into the country two seasons ago where he played for Bantu.
It is proof that the player has progressed and our league has helped him grow into a better player so much that he impressed Steve Khompela.
This is also a challenge for the Premier League Management Committee (PLMC) and the Lesotho Football Association (LeFA) to ensure the game is not marred by scandals as was the case last season.
We have proved on countless occasions that we have the football talent but we have consistently been found wanting in terms of administration.
The administrators must do more to ensure that resources are availed for the grooming of younger talent. The government also has a huge role in establishing the necessary structures to improve our sports.
This is one area that has held us back for a long time as a country and surely our minister of Sports, Mme Mahali Phamotse, is aware of the challenges that the athletes face on a daily basis including the lack of the necessary equipment to hone their skills and nurture their talent.
I want to sign off by congratulating triple jumper, Lerato Sechele, who bagged a bronze medal on Sunday at the African Senior Championship in Nigeria.
Sechele is getting her groove back since her return from a relatively unsuccessful two-year long training camp in Senegal in 2016 after which she performed dismally at the Brazil Olympics that year.
Like we have said before, Senegal was a wrong choice to send an athlete of her calibre and her recent performances after camps in … have proved us right.
