Ousted PLMC boss slams top-flight clubs

MASERU – Ousted Premier League Management Committee (PLMC) chairman Mosa Seoli has lashed out at the presidents of top-flight clubs saying they are letting the elite league down.

Seoli was unseated at the elections of a new PLMC committee at the Bambatha Tšita Sports Arena last Friday after he decided not to run for re-election. The league’s new chairman is Matlama vice-president Hubbard Monaheng and he will be in the seat for the next two years.

Seoli made his remarks shortly after the elections were concluded and he slammed club presidents in attendance saying if they do not change their attitudes, the development of football is “going nowhere.”

Seoli, who is the president of Swallows, said his outgoing committee received little support from club presidents while he was in charge of the PLMC. According to those who were present in the congress, presidents would often send their juniors instead of attending meetings.

“This PLMC without the presidents is useless,” Seoli lamented. “I am telling you, mark my words, if you don’t change your attitudes as presidents this football development is going nowhere, forget it.”

Seoli was elected as PLMC chairman in 2020 and said he did not run for re-election because he wanted to focus on his commitments as Swallows president.

By pulling out of the race, Seoli paved a clear path for Monaheng who was reportedly endorsed by the league’s big clubs because they had lost faith in Seoli’s leadership. Seoli urged the new committee to eliminate any factionalism and foster harmony within the PLMC.

“Bring these teams together and call them all the time and look at the development of football, not who is running football,” he said.

“Good luck to you, you are going to have a very challenging time, teams are there. Presidents, you are letting the PLMC down,” he said.

The upcoming Vodacom Premier League campaign will be the first full season since the pandemic and the first since the announcement of the Africa Super League, a new competition that was launched by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) earlier this month.

The tournament, which is set to start in August 2023 and will be played alongside the CAF Champions League, is set to accommodate 24 teams from three CAF regions – North, Central/West, Southern/East – and each region will provide eight clubs with a cap of three clubs per country.

Each of the 24 clubs participating in the Africa Super League will receive US$2.5 million (M40.8 million), with the winners getting US$11.6 (roughly M197.2 million). Seoli said Lesotho has a long way to go for its clubs to qualify for the tournament.

“You see we now have a Super League in Africa; you saw the requirements; when are we going to reach them? it is a question mark,” Seoli said.

“It doesn’t mean because a team is going to the (CAF) Champions League then they will play in the Super League, it needs all of us to be together.”

Speaking to thepost after his election as PLMC chairman, Monaheng said the league will soon confirm the dates for the start of the 2022/23 season. He said his committee is going to work to bring sponsors into the game and increase the level of competition in the top-flight.

“Sometime in this coming month (we will make an announcement), we just have to confirm the dates, but it is soon,” Monaheng said.

“What we will do is to hit the ground running,” he added.

“Fortunately, the outgoing committee is people we know and the handover is smooth. They have reiterated that their support will be there (for us). We will use their wisdom of the path they have walked to bolster ourselves going forward,” Monaheng said.

Ultimately, the only position that was contested at the PLMC elections was that of vice-secretary as many were unopposed due to withdrawals while there was one disqualification, that of Lesotho Correctional Service’s (LCS) Kofa Rantai from the race for the spokesman position.

Kofa was not allowed to stand for elections because the PLMC said the nomination letter sent by LCS talked about the position of vice-secretary instead of spokesman.

LCS was made aware of the error and said they would fix it but they never did. ‘Masheshena’ tried to argue their case at the elections but their arguments were quickly cast aside.

New PLMC committee:

Chairman: Hubbard Monaheng (Matlama)
Vice chairman: Adv. Sefako Seema (Galaxy)
Secretary General: Adv. Raphuthing Mokhethi (Bantu)
Vice Secretary General: Mothibeli Mokone (Lesotho Mounted Police Service)
Public Relations Officer: Bokang Phasumane (Linare)
Member: David Ramphalile (Lioli)

Tlalane Phahla