Should Lesotho introduce head-to-head?

It’s that time of the year again.

Lesotho’s first division, the Vodacom A-Division, is reaching its climax and if there is one thing previous end of seasons in the first division have brought us it is dispute. Last year the ending of the season was delayed by more than a month because of a wrangle between Maduma and Mpharane Celtics which revolved around a competition about who scored the most goals.

On the final day of the season in May Maduma beat Butha-Buthe Fast XI 7-1 while Mpharane Celtics beat Lifefo 5-1. The results meant Maduma gained promotion to the Vodacom Premier League because of a superior goal difference.

But Mpharane Celtics complained that Maduma’s match had started 40 minutes later giving their rivals an unfair advantage.

After numerous appeals promotion was finally settled in July when the final day matches were replayed. This time Maduma beat Butha-Buthe Fast XI 8-2 while Mpharane Celtics’ opponents Lifefo failed to show up for their match; ironically Lifefo would have been relegated if they had lost too heavily.

Ultimately Butha-Buthe outfit Maduma gained promotion but it was another messy episode. That’s perhaps why there is a need to introduce a head-to-head system in Lesotho’s leagues instead of the goal difference method currently in use.

In Lesotho, like in most countries, the system used to decide matters if two teams are tied on the same number of points is goal difference; in short the sum of the goals a team has scored minus the goals they have conceded. However past quarrels in the first division have illustrated the flaws of the goal difference system in Lesotho where there is little coverage and rules are not always strictly followed. The lack of television coverage for example leaves room for suspicions of match-fixing, what happens in Butha-Buthe for instance cannot be seen in by those in Leribe.

Introducing a head-to-head system would help Lesotho football avoid these controversies which continue to tarnish local football and which haven’t been restricted to the first division. The head-to-head system is based on the direct results between teams in case of a tie in the number of points. Only if the teams remain inseparable will goal difference come into play.

The system is used in Spain and Italy.

A recent famous example of the head-to-head at work was in the 2006/07 Spanish season when Real Madrid grabbed the championship despite having a worse goal difference than rivals Barcelona because their results in the sides’ two matches, a 2-0 win and a 3-3 draw, were better.

Critics of the head-to-head system argue it can encourage negative football – a team can win the league simply by playing for 1-0 wins – and that it is unfair to discard a team’s performances over the duration of a long and arduous season.

But for Lesotho, perhaps at least until professional football is introduced, using a head-to-head system is the only way to go. The increasing financial rewards mean there is more to lose. Promotion to the Premiership for instance is now worth at least M15 500 to a club.

In recent years Lesotho has suffered from the controversies which can go hand-in-hand with the goal difference system with local football witnessing some mindboggling end of season score-lines. Most famously in the 2006/2007 season LCS mauled Butha-Buthe Warriors 13-0 in their penultimate league. Masheshena would eventually claim the Premier League title ahead of Matlama on goal difference.

The head-to-head system for one eliminates such occurrences because what counts are the direct results between two teams if they are tied in the league placing. Certainly it would remove doubts of aggrieved teams and clubs will no longer have excuses for failing in their season missions – whatever they may be.