Lesotho to host 2022 African Youth Games

Lesotho is set to host the 2022 African Youth Games...

Lesotho has been confirmed as the host country of the 2022 African Youth Games.

The Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) confirmed its approval of Lesotho’s bid at its Extraordinary General Assembly held on Tuesday the Algerian capital, Algiers.

The meeting took place before the start of the third edition of the African Youth Games which began Wednesday in Algiers and end next Friday.

The Republic of Congo was also reportedly interested in staging the 2022 event but Lesotho’s was the preferred choice of ANOCA.

The 2022 Games in Lesotho will be held in Maseru and the tentative dates are February 25 to March 6, 2022.

The slogan for Lesotho’s bid was “One Voice: One Africa: Sport Speaks”.

The 2022 Games will be the fourth edition of the event which was first held in the Moroccan capital Rabat in 2010.

Botswana’s capital Gaborone then hosted the second edition of the quadrennial Games in 2014, before Algiers this year.

The African Youth Games are for athletes aged between 14 to 18 years and their goal is to contribute to the development of African sport and the growth of Olympic values across the continent.

The Games are also expected to feature education and cultural programmes seeking to promote the arts and culture of the host country and Africa as a whole.

The awarding of the 2020 Africa Youth Games marks the first time Lesotho has been awarded an event by ANOCA with the country having never staged the senior African Games or African Youth Games before.

The 2022 African Youth Games are set to be the biggest sports event hosted by Lesotho to date.

Thabane Sutu hired as Orlando City goalkeeper coach in MLS

Thabane Sutu continues his rise in America...

Former Lesotho captain Thabane Sutu has been hired as the new the goalkeeper coach of Orlando City which campaigns in America’s top-flight Major League Soccer (MLS).

Sutu was at Louisville City, which campaigns in the second division United Soccer League (USL), since it was founded in 2015.

Sutu was hired alongside Daniel Byrd to join the technical staff of new Orlando City head coach James O’Connor. Both Sutu and Byrd worked with O’Conner at Louisville City since the club’s first year. Under the stewardship of O’Connor, Byrd and Sutu, LouCity made three consecutive trips to the USL Eastern Conference Final, falling to the eventual champion twice before raising the USL Cup in 2017.

Orlando City general manager Niki Budalic welcomed the additions of Sutu and Byrd.

“Daniel and Thabane were obvious fits for the technical staff, not just because they worked well with James, but because they also had a lot of success at Louisville,” Budalic said.

“That’s been a primary focus as we prepare for the second half of the season and beyond. We’re very excited for Daniel and Thabane to join us.”

His move to Orlando City is the latest step in a distinguished football career for Sutu.

In addition to coaching LouCity’s goalkeepers, Sutu previously served as the technical director for United 1996 Futbol Club, a prominent youth programme in the US.

As a professional goalkeeper, Sutu won the Arab League title in 1995 and three straight Egyptian league titles from 1994 to 1996 with Al Ahly. Sutu also captained Lesotho from 1994 to 1997.

Orlando City is a new club in the MLS having begun playing in 2015 as an expansion team.

Rivals Kick4Life and LDF collide in Women’s Super League Tournament final

Kick4Life Ladies will be looking to claim their
first piece of Women's Super League silverware...

The top two in Lesotho women’s football – Kick4Life Ladies and LDF Ladies – will face off in the final of the Women’s Super League Tournament on Saturday.

The rivals finished first and second in last season’s league season and they are expected to battle it out for the title once again in the new campaign later in the year.

Before that, however, the teams have to decide the winners of the first Women’s Super League Tournament.

The final will be played at Setsoto Stadium and both sides go into the finale on the back of dominant runs.

Kick4Life comfortably won all three of their tournament group games before smashing Basetsana 5-2 in the semi-finals two weeks ago at Makoanyane Barracks. However, as impressive as Kick4Life have been, LDF have been even more dominant.

The 2017 league champions, who pipped Kick4Life to the title, won their three group games by a combined 17-0 margin.

LDF then thumped Stoko 4-0 in the semi-finals.

Given both teams’ dominance, it is clear Saturday’s final could lay down a marker for the 2018 Women’s Super League season which is tentatively scheduled to start in September.

The Women’s Super League Tournament was introduced in May after the new league season was postponed because of a change in the CAF calendar.

The change means the women’s top-fight will now run from September until around March the following. Before this year the first three editions of the Women’s Super League were played over the calendar year with Basetsana winning the league in 2015, Stoko in 2016 and LDF in 2017.

The postponement of the league was also convenient because of Lesotho’s involvement in the 2018 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON 2018) qualifiers. Mehalalitoe beat Swaziland in the first round of the qualifiers in April before falling to South Africa at the last hurdle last month.

The Women’s Super League Tournament consisted of eight sides split into two groups of four teams.

In the north stream it was Stoko, Berea Ladies, Kick4Life Ladies and Basetsana. In the south it was Rovers Ladies, Mafeteng Sisters, Sky Battalion and LDF Ladies.

The teams played each other once in a round robin format before the top two sides from each group progressed to the semi-finals.

By all accounts the Lesotho Football Association backed tournament has been a success and everything now comes down to finals day at Setsoto.

The action will start with a third-place playoff between Stoko and Sky Battalion at 12:00.

At 14:30, LDF and Kick4Life will then enter the field to decide the winners of the first piece of silverware in this season’s Women Super League football campaign.

Lesotho to shoot for gold at 2018 Africa Youth Games

Team Lesotho heads to Algeria...

Lesotho will compete in six disciplines at the 2018 Africa Youth Games next week looking for its first gold medal at the showpiece.

The championships will be held in the Algerian capital Algiers and will see the continent’s best young talents converge for glory.

The Africa Youth Games are held every four years to complement the All-Africa Games and are contested by athletes between the ages of 14 and 17 years. This year’s showpiece will run from July 17 to 27 and will serve as a qualifier for the 2018 Youth Olympics Games which will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina later this year in October.

In Algeria, Lesotho will compete in athletics, beach volleyball, boxing, taekwondo, tennis and weightlifting; in total, the team will comprise 18 athletes.

Team Lesotho will be spearheaded by the athletics team which will comprise Matšeliso Seatle in the girls’ 1500 metres, Mojela Konoshe in the boys’ 100 metres and Tšepang Motjolopane in the boys’ 3000 metres races.

Lesotho also has high hopes in boxing where Phomolo Lengola will compete in the boys’ 56 kilogram class while Lehlohonolo Pitso will box in the 75kg competition. The Africa Youth Games will be Lengola’s second major youth competition in just over a year after he reached the quarterfinal at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas last June.

In beach volleyball Lesotho will have a girls team of Montšeng Mabea and Matšeliso Nchakha and a boys pair of Nqheku Lepheane and Liteboho Mohau.

In taekwondo, Teboho Phasumane and Katleho Mokone will compete in the girls’ competition while Tumelo Mosala will fight in the boys’ section. In weightlifting Relebohile Mokhele will contest the girls’ 44 kg and Raballo Ramoneng will compete in the boys’ 56kg.

Finally, in tennis, Kekeletso Moseme and ‘Manyama Maisa will compete in the girls’ event while Nyathi Motlojoa and Mpaleng Sempe will be in the boys’ draw. The four prospects will also compete in the doubles and mixed doubles tournaments.

Team Lesotho will leave for Algiers on Sunday, July 15, and will return on July 29.

2018 Alliance Winter Challenge dates set for August

LCS will be looking to make it three Alliance Winter Challenge titles
in a row when the competition roars into life on August 4...

The Alliance Winter Challenge will take centre stage on the weekend of August 4 and 5 tournament organisers have confirmed.

This year will be the fourth edition of the off-season showpiece and organisers have promised the best event yet.

The four-team competition was introduced in 2015 and is contested by the three Econet Premier League clubs sponsored by Alliance Insurance – namely Matlama, Lioli and Lesotho Correctional Service (LCS) – as well as a fourth invitee.

This year the lucky guest team is newly-promoted Swallows.

The four sides will battle it out for the Alliance Winter Challenge crown early next at month at Setsoto Stadium.

The semi-finals will see defending champions LCS face Matlama in a repeat of last year’s final while Lioli will be heavy favourites in the second semi against Swallows.

The two semi-final winners will then face-off in the final the following day while the losers will battle it out in a third-place playoff.

LCS and Matlama will face off in the semis in a repeat of last year's final...

LCS will enter the 2018 Alliance Winter Challenge as two-time defending champions after winning the trophy last year and in 2016. Last year LCS beat Matlama 1-0 in the final and the club’s secretary general, Lehlohonolo Matlosa, said Masheshena are out to defend a title they hold dear.

“LCS has benefitted a lot from the (Alliance Winter Challenge) because of the gate takings that are collected during the tournament and shared among participating teams,” Matlosa said. “The money helps us a lot during our preparations ahead of the new season.”

Swallows are the fourth guest team to play in the Alliance Winter Challenge.

The first invited team was Liphakoe in 2015; in 2016 it was Sundawana; last year it was Bantu.

“The tournament will come very handy to our side because we are facing the huge challenge of making our debut in the Premier League,” said Swallows vice-president of administration, Maama Seeiso. “We will use the tournament to weigh where we stand going into the new league season.”

Maseru Select make history by contesting Eastern Free State Rugby semi-finals

Maseru Select (in orange) in action against Ficksburg earlier in the season...

Lesotho will have a team in the semi-finals of the Griffons Rugby Eastern Free State League for the first time when Maseru Select take on Bethlehem Oud-Skoliere on Saturday.

The semi-finals will be played at Phuthaditjhaba Stadium in Qwa-Qwa, Free State.

In the other semi-final, hosts Qwa-Qwa will battle Ladybrand for the right to contest the final.

Maseru Select’s appearance in the last four is the first time Lesotho has a team in the semis of the Griffons League – a 10-team championship contested by clubs from South Africa’s Free State province and Maseru Select as a guest team.

Maseru Select played their home games this season in Ladybrand and the side is made up of players from teams in the top-flight National Rugby Championships – Maseru Warriors, Mabote Beavers, National University of Lesotho Spears, LDF Liqhomane and Giants Rugby.

Maseru Select’s semi against Eastern Free State heavyweights Bethlehem Oud-Skoliere will start at 14:00. The two semi-final winners will play in the final while the losers will contest a third-place playoff.

Griffons Rugby Eastern Free State League semi-finals:

Phuthaditjhaba Stadium, Saturday

Bethlehem Oud-Skoliere v Maseru Select

Qwa-Qwa v Ladybrand

Kick4Life Ladies and LDF Ladies set up mouth-watering final

LDF Ladies are looking to add another trophy to their cabinet...

Kick4Life Ladies and LDF Ladies have set up a mouth-watering final in the season opening Women’s Super League Tournament after both claimed convincing wins in Saturday’s semi-finals.

The two women’s football juggernauts will now meet on July 14 to decide the winner of the debut tournament.

Kick4Life beat Sky Battalion 5-2 in their semi-final but they were given a scare after Sky Battalion scored in the second minute.

However, Kick4Life fired back six minutes later and showed their class throughout to secure a dominant 5-2 win. In the second semi-final 2017 league champions LDF were also too strong as they beat Stoko 4-0.

The Women’s Super League Tournament was introduced in May following the postponement of the 2018 Women’s Super League until later this year. The competition consisted of two groups of four teams – the North and the South Stream.

In the north it was Stoko, Berea Ladies, Kick4Life Ladies and Basetsana. In the south it was, Rovers Ladies, Mafeteng Sisters, Sky Battalion and LDF Ladies.

The teams played each other once in a round robin format with the top two teams from each group progressing to the semi-finals.

Last weekend the semis took place at Makoanyane Barracks.

Kick4Life are looking to win their first piece of silverware in the Women’s Super League after agonisingly finishing second in each of the past three league campaigns.

They have made a good start to the 2018 football season. Kick4Life opened the Women’s Super League Tournament with a 4-0 win over Berea Ladies before a comprehensive 4-1 win over Stoko. They then finished the group phase by beating Basetsana 2-0.

Kick4Life coach Puseletso Mokhosi said the team has benefited from having its players as part of Lesotho’s campaign in the 2018 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON 2018) qualifiers. Lesotho beat Swaziland in the first round in April before falling to South Africa at the final hurdle last month.

Kick4Life players Makobo Kepa, Mosili, Rethabile Akhente and Litšeoana Maloro were part of the Mehalalitoe squad.

“Our aim is to win all our games this season. Our players that were part of the national team during the African Women’s Cup of Nations Championship Qualifiers are in good form,” Mokhosi said.

LDF, on the other hand, will have to win the Women’s Super League Tournament and defend their league crown without the services of influential defender Lerato Kheme.

LDF coach Lehloenya Nkhasi said the Lesotho international could be out for the rest of the year after sustaining a knee injury in Lesotho’s AWCON 2018 qualifier against South Africa in June.

Women’s Super League Tournament semi-final results:

Kick4Life 5-2 Sky Battalion

LDF Ladies 4-0 FC Stoko

Group stages:

North Stream

		P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts.
1	Kick4Life	3	3	0	0	10	1	9	9
2	FC Stoko	3	2	0	1	8	5	3	6
3	Basetsana	3	1	0	2	2	3	-1	3
4	Berea Ladies	3	0	0	3	1	12	-11	0

South Stream

		P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts.
1	LDF Ladies	3	3	0	0	17	0	17	9
2	Sky Battalion	3	1	1	1	3	5	-2	4
3	Rovers	3	1	0	2	2	6	-4	3
4	Mafeteng Sistas	3	0	1	2	2	13	-11	1