LEFA boss says fix Setsoto now

MASERU – The Lesotho Football Association (LEFA) president, Advocate Salemane Phafane, has urged the new government to prioritise Setsoto Stadium.

The national stadium has been banned from hosting international matches since May 2021 because it does not meet international standards set by Africa’s governing body, CAF.

Phafane called the amount of money the association has pumped into South Africa to host international games there due to the unavailability of the national stadium ‘delinquent’.

Likuena have played their home games in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers at the Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto because of Setsoto’s unavailability.

Likuena have already hosted Ivory Coast in Group H of the qualifiers, and if Setsoto remains in the same state next year, they will do the same when they host Zambia and Comoros.

LEFA spent close to M2 million on just one fixture, when Matlama competed in the CAF Champions League against Coton Sport de Garoua of Cameroon in September.

Although the amount included the return leg, the bulk of the expenses went to Matlama hosting their home leg aat the Bloemfontein Stadium.

“The issue of the unavailability of Setsoto is doing this country a lot of injustice,” Phafane said.

“A lot of money in the millions is being eroded into South Africa every time there is an international game.

“That’s Basotho’s money, it’s the money that should have been used here and that excludes the loss of revenue,” he said.

Setsoto is one of the 23 stadiums across Africa that were banned in May 2021 for not meeting CAF’s standards for hosting international matches and the improvements mandated by CAF have not been done.

The developments required by CAF include massive renovation, re-grassing, installing modern floodlights and a standby generator.

The high costs of hosting matches in South Africa forced LEFA last month to suspend participation in continental club competitions indefinitely until Setsoto is renovated and becomes available.

Playing in South Africa has become an expensive exercise, let alone one that is irresponsible and embarrassing for the country.

“You can imagine if we were to collect all the information regarding the expenditure that has gone into all the games that we have had to play in Soweto.

“How much of Basotho money has been eroded into South Africa, let alone the revenue lost,” Phafane said.

“As things stand in the coming year, unless the incoming government pulls up its socks, we will continue to erode more funds into South Africa because we are going to continue playing all our games in Soweto or Bloemfontein, and it is very expensive but leave the expenses alone,” he said.

Phafane urged the MPs who were present at the conference to return to their colleagues and put a stop to this. He said getting Setsoto back up and running is not difficult but just requires dedication.

“To get Setsoto back and running is not a difficult task, it just needs commitment.

“We therefore urge the honourable incoming Minister of Sport through madam director to attend to the issue of Setsoto as a matter of urgency. It should be number one priority in my view,” he said.

Failure to get the stadium up and running, according to Phafane, would force the association to reveal how much money has been sucked out of the country to South Africa and how much revenue has been lost while Setsoto rots.

“I will collect all the information in respect to all the games we have played in South Africa, and say this money has been lost because of absolute delinquency on the side of the government.

“I don’t think we want to continue doing that and we are hoping the incoming minister will put a stop to it,” Phafane said.

“You can do it, sit down with LEFA, sit down with other associations, we can do it together but if we are going to continue working in silos, we will not be able to achieve it,” he said.

Tlalane Phahla