MASERU– The Lesotho Football Association (LEFA) will be in Mohale’s Hoek this weekend to launch the latest leg of the FIFA Talent Development Scheme (TDS). The programme has already been launched in different regions across the country with the newest being in Maseru last week.
The programme was first launched in the north with teams from Mokhotlong, Butha-Buthe, Leribe and Berea participating.
The south region is made up of Mohale’s Hoek, Quthing and Qacha’s Nek. LEFA’s Youth Development Officer, Mohaila Letseka, said the programme will run for the whole year and it is meant for Under-15 boys but the intention is to include girls in the future.
“The first launch was really good, the players were competitive, even-though it is really about development but they gave us good games. I think Mokhotlong was very good,” Letseka said.
“We are in Mohale’s Hoek this weekend, the good thing is that we have scouts at these games, the (national) Under-17 coach Motolo Makepe has been watching,” he added.
Letseka said the programme will be used to select a national Under-17 team.
“This programme was launched by FIFA and some countries launched theirs immediately but for us we decided to start with Under-15 boys, they will be turning 16 next year and we are looking at taking them to the COSAFA Championship. We will be cutting down picking the best players from the zones there is a lot of talent,” he explained.
TDS was launched in 2022 by FIFA with the aim of offering assistance to member associations to help them achieve their full potential and continue the measures taken to reduce the disparity in the level of football between different regions of the world.
When the TDS project was launched, FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, Arsène Wenger, hailed the programme and said it was for global benefit and it would improve the equality of opportunity for players across all six confederations.
Wenger said this was a significant step towards giving every talent a chance, no matter where or when they are born.
Whilst competitions are drivers of development, FIFA says TDS strengthens a solid framework for the pathways that take talent from the point at which they enter the game, all the way through to transition opportunities into senior football.
Tlalane Phahla