Lesotho Football Association issued a strong statement on January 11, 2022, regarding the speech of the Minister of Gender, Youth, Sport, and Recreation she delivered at Mokhotlong.
LeFA was shocked by Honourable Likeleli Tampane’s statement calling for the selection of players from her constituency into the National Team (Likuena).
The Lesotho Football Association wishes to express its disappointment and dismay at the statement made by the Minister Gender, Youth, Sport and Recreation, Honourable Likeleli Tampane on national television, “that she will not support the senior national team-Likuena if players from her constituency in Mokhotlong are not selected into the Senior National Team”.
“The leadership of LeFA is extremely disappointed with the Honourable Minister’s remarks and wishes to remind her that selection of players into the national teams, is done only by the coaches and it is done purely on merit. The selection of players has nothing to do with the ministerial constituency.
“We want to make the Honourable Minister aware that neither the coach nor LeFA will be blackmailed into calling players from Minister’s constituency into the national teams in exchange for her support to the association and or the national teams. We want to remind her that she has an obligation as the Minister of Sports to support the national team players irrespective of the constituencies they come from.
“Political constituencies have no relevance at all when it comes to the selection of players. That is the sole prerogative of the national team coaches and their technical team. In this regard, the coaches should do their job and will continue to do so totally without fear or favour and should not be intimidated by anyone including the Minister of Sports.”
The Ministry of Gender, Youth, Sport and Recreation communications Officer Mr. Maqalika Matsepe indicated that LeFA statement is causing confusion in the nation.
“You know in a nutshell LeFA opted to confuse the people intentionally about this statement,” said Matsepe.
“The Minister was motivating the players of her constituency, there was nothing serious about that”, He concluded.
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