MASERU – Lesotho will be represented by two officials at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Advocate Salemane Phafane, president of the Lesotho Football Association (LEFA), will serve on the Disciplinary Committee for the upcoming World Cup, while assistant referee Souru Phatšoane will officiate matches.
Secretary General Mokhosi Mohapi announced Phafane’s appointment at the association’s 17th Ordinary Congress on Saturday.
Following a recommendation from Africa’s governing body, CAF, Phafane is already a member of FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee.
The appointment was made official during FIFA’s 71st congress, which was held two years ago at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.
This appointment underscores Phafane’s strong leadership of the association as it works to rebuild and develop football in the country.
Prior to being appointed two years ago, his astuteness in football leadership was second to none.
He was considered for a position on one of FIFA’s subcommittees because he previously served on FIFA’s legal committee and as vice-president of COSAFA, Southern Africa’s football governing body, for two terms.
Phatšoane’s World Cup assignment concludes an unforgettable year in his career, in which he became the first Mosotho official to officiate in an Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final between Senegal and Egypt.
After officiating in the CAF Champions League final and the AFCON final, it was only natural for him to move on to the World Cup.
Phatšoane had previously officiated in the continental showpiece, making his debut in 2019 in Egypt, and has since become a regular in Africa’s top competitions such as the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup.
Tlalane Phahla