Kick4Life hosts first-ever Lesotho Easter Youth Tournament

Youth football will take centre stage at the Bambatha Tšita Sports Arena
this weekend...

Kick4Life will host the first-ever Lesotho Easter Youth Tournament this weekend. The tournament will kick-off on Friday and end on Saturday. It will be hosted at the Bambatha Tšita Sports Arena and will feature guest teams from Botswana and South Africa.

The Lesotho Easter Youth Tournament will consist of Under-16 and Under-23 competitions.

The Under-16 category will be contested by eight teams, six of which are from Lesotho – Kick4Life Under-16, Kick4Life Academy, Matlama FC, LMPS FC, ACE Maseru FC and Roller Stars FC.

The two other sides are South Africa’s Kagiso Sports School of Excellence (KSSE) and Palapye All Stars from Botswana.

The Under-23 competition is made up of four clubs. Kick4Life will face KSSE in the semi-finals while the other match will see ACE Maseru take on Palapye All Stars.

Kick4Life’s Director of Football, Chris Bullock, said is the tournament, which is the first of its kind in Lesotho, is an opportunity for all the youngsters involved. KCCE, for example, is run by Thabiso Nkoana who plays for SuperSport United in South Africa’s top-flight Premier Soccer League.

“Our hope is to give exposure to our youth players and give them a chance to play against teams from across the region,” Bullock said. “But also there is the possibility to identify players who perhaps could get other opportunities in the future.”

Bullock said organisers also hope to make the Easter Youth Tournament a yearly fixture in the region’s youth football schedule.

“This is the first time the tournament is being held and we hope to make it an annual tournament but with the host team rotating across the Southern African region,” he said.

Lesotho Easter Youth Tournament Schedule:

Friday

Under 16

Quarterfinals:

QF 1: ACE Maseru v KSSE (09:00)

QF 2: Kick4Life v Matlama (11:00)

QF 3: Palapye All Stars v Kick4Life Academy (13:00)

QF 4: Roller Stars v LMPS (15:00)

Under 23

Semi-finals:

KSSE v Kick4Life (11:00)

ACE Maseru v Palapye All Stars (13:00)

Saturday

Under 16

Semi-finals:

Winner QF 1 v Winner QF 2 (09:00)

Winner QF 3 v Winner QF 4 (09:00)

Final at 15:00

Losers’ semi-finals and final:

Loser QF 1 v Loser QF 2 (11:00)

Loser QF 3 v Loser QF 4 (11:00)

Losers’ final (13:00)

Under 23

Finals:

3rd v 4th (13:00)

Final (13:00)

#TBT: Lesotho 1-1 Zambia

Zambia's Collins Mbesuma (left) and Likuena's Thabo Masualle

Throwback to 24 March 2013: Lesotho defender Thabo Masualle battles Zambia striker Collins Mbesuma during a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier between the sides at Setsoto Stadium.

The match finished 1-1.

Mbesuma scored for Zambia 15 minutes from time but Litšepe Marabe equalised in the dying minutes for Likuena.

The starting line-ups that day:

Lesotho: Mohau Kuenane - Moitheri Ntobo, Thabo Masualle, Bokang Mothoana, Tlali Maile - Litšepe Marabe, Motlalepula Mofolo, Ralekoti Mokhahlane, Katleho Moleko - Mojela Letsie, Tšepo Lekhoana

Zambia: Kennedy Mweene - Davies Nkausu, Emmanuel Mbola, Hichani Himoonde, Stophilla Sunzu - Nathan Sinkala, Isaac Chansa, Rainford Kalaba, Fwayo Tembo - Collins Mbesuma, Christopher Katongo

Matlama and Linare dominate February awards nominees

Matlama striker Motebang Sera is nominated for the February Player
of the Month award

In-form Matlama and Linare dominate the nominations list for February’s Econet Premier League’s monthly awards.

Linare have the most nominations with strikers Rethabile Selonyane and Rethabile Rasenthuntsa up for the Player of the Month award while Teele Ntšonyana is competing for the coaches’ prize.

For Matlama the nominees are striker Motebang Sera and coach Mosito Matela.

In the Player of the Month category, the final two nominees are LDF Tšepo Toloane and Lioli’s Retšelisitsoe Moepi while Sefotha-fotha’s Tiisetso Molete is the final coach of the month nominee.

The monthly awards are a first to Lesotho football. They are part of innovations introduced by Econet when it replaced Vodacom Lesotho as Premier League sponsors at the start of the season in September.

The awards are voted for by the public by sending the players and coaches’ unique code to 65250.

Award Nominees:

Player of the Month:

Tšepo Toloane (LDF) – Code P01

Rethabile Selonyane (Linare) – P02

Rethabile Rasenthuntsa (Linare) – P03

Retšelisitsoe Moepi (Lioli) – P04

Motebang Sera (Matlama) – P05

Coach of the Month:

Teele Ntšonyana (Linare) – C01

Mosito Matela (Matlama) – C02

Tiisetso Molete (Sefotha-fotha) – C03

Swallows take giant step towards Econet Premiership promotion

It is crunch time in the A-Division...

Swallows took a massive step towards winning promotion to the Econet Premier League thanks to a comprehensive 3-0 win over Mangau on Sunday in Mazenod. Maswai-swai’s goals were scored by Retšelisitsoe Mopeli, Thabo Lietsiso and Mohau Khali as the Mazenod side continued to be the class of the division.

With 25 goals from 15 games, Lebohang Matobo’s charges have scored the most goals in the first division and their six goals conceded represents the best defensive record this season.

Their form has Swallows well-placed at the top of the South Stream with 34 points. They are six points clear of second-placed Lithabaneng Golden with three games to go and with only one team guaranteed of promotion.

Thanks to Maswai-swai’s vastly superior goal difference, one more win would all but secure the South Stream title. Swallows’ goal difference is plus-19 while Lithabaneng Golden’s is plus-8.

If Swallows do manage to navigate the season’s final stretch of waters they will seal a return to the top-flight for the first time since 2011.

It will also erase last year’s pain when Maswai-swai were beaten to promotion by Majantja on the final day of the season.

In the North Stream, the race is closer although Galaxy hold all the cards. The log leaders stayed on course to win promotion thanks to a hard-fought 2-1 win over Limkokwing University on Sunday.

The victory gives Galaxy 33 points from 16 games.

Their nearest challengers are Litšilo and Ketane. Litšilo did their part to keep up the pressure on Galaxy with 3-2 win over Lifofane on Saturday while’s Ketane’s game away to Butha-Buthe Warriors on Sunday had to be called off because of heavy rains.

It means Litšilo are second with 31 points from 16 games while Ketane are third with 29 points from 15 games.

With only two rounds left to play in the North Stream, it looks likely to be a photo finish to decide who will be promoted to the Econet Premier League.

Weekend Results:

North Stream:

Saturday

Mphatlalatsane 0-1 Likila United

CCX FC 2-1 Lerotholi Polytechnic

Lifofane 2-3 Litšilo

Sunday

Galaxy 2-1 Limkokwing University

Butha-Buthe Warriors v Ketane (postponed, unplayable pitch)

South Stream:

Saturday

Qoaling Highlanders 2-1 Roma Boys

Manonyane 1-1 Lijabatho

Lithabaneng Golden 2-0 Rovers

Sunday

Machokha 2-0 Quthing LMPS

Swallows 3-0 Mangau

A-Division Standings:

South Stream

		P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts.
1	Swallows	15	10	4	1	25	6	19	34
2	Lithabaneng Golden	15	8	4	3	21	13	8	28
3	Manonyane	16	7	5	4	16	9	7	26
4	Lijabatho	15	6	6	3	21	16	5	24
5	Machokha	16	6	4	6	28	19	9	22
6	Quthing LMPS	15	7	0	8	19	17	2	21
7	Mangau	15	5	5	5	19	19	0	20
8	Roma Boys	15	4	3	8	21	31	-10	15
9	Qoaling Highlanders	16	3	3	10	16	39	-23	12
10	Rovers	16	3	2	11	16	34	-18	5

·         Rovers docked 6 points for late registration

North Stream

		P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts.
1	Galaxy	16	10	3	3	24	12	12	33
2	Litšilo	16	9	4	3	22	13	9	31
3	Ketane	15	8	5	2	32	16	16	29
4	Lifofane	16	6	5	5	16	18	-2	23
5	Limkokwing University	16	5	5	6	18	19	-1	20
6	CCX	16	5	3	8	23	26	-3	18
7	Lerotholi Polytechnic	16	4	5	7	18	16	2	17
8	Likila United	16	4	5	7	10	22	-12	17
9	Butha-Buthe Warriors	15	3	6	6	9	17	-8	15
10	Mphatlalatsane	16	2	5	10	14	24	-10	11